World Falling Down
by Snapegirlkmf
Summary: After being banished, Rumple starts a new life in NY as a lawyer and finds a new love who will truly fight for him, as well as family in Henry and Archie. A story of a heart broken that comes back stronger than before. While in SB, DarkSwanQueen rules all. Non-canon pairings. M/F, F/F. AU S4. WINNER BEST NON-RUMBELLE FIC 2017 ORBITS!
1. Leaving Your Memories Behind Me

World Falling Down

CJ Moliere & Snapegirlkmf

1

 **~ Leaving Your Memories Behind Me ~**

 **Author's Notes: I was prompted to write this by several friends on FB who all disagree with the direction the show has taken with regards to Rumple want to show a different ending to 4x11 with him, Henry and Archie working together to find their own happy endings. This is a non-Rumbelle fic, just to warn you. I don't want to get my fanfic or FB flooded with hate messages or those of my coauthor or I will have your accounts suspended for cyberbullying. As far as I am concerned canon Rumbelle was history at the end of episode 3x11 when Rumple died, not the mess that started afterwards. If you want to read non-canon Rumbelle I have plenty of other fics about it and you are welcome to read them.**

Leaving your memories behind me

Hoping that nothing reminds me

Praying that I can forget

And even now I take it

One step at a time, and now I

Face the future eye to eye

I know it won't be easy, but I'll get by…

Peter Cetera – World Falling Down

New York City

Robert Gold stood at the window of his office in a Manhattan high rise and sighed deeply. Six months ago he had such high hopes that he would finally free himself from the curse that held him in its viselike grip for centuries. Then he and his beloved Belle along with their grandson Henry could at last have the fresh start he wanted so much. He didn't give a damn about the rest of the residents in the town. They only came to him when they got themselves in a jam and couldn't get out of it, never once thanking him for his troubles. Despite rumors to the contrary, he wasn't at fault for every ounce of misery in their lives. Those who made deals with him knew all magic came with a price and if the outcome wasn't what was expected, it wasn't his fault! And some of them seemed to forget they had as many sins on their consciences as he did but now were playing heroes to impress the others or in the case of a certain pirate, to get the woman his son loved just as he'd stolen Bae's mother all those years ago. He expected better from the girl who was supposed to be their savior and even more surprising was her parents' acceptance of such a relationship. It would come to no good eventually. Hook was a pirate and he always would be: taking what he wanted and everything else be damned. Regina would never be able to emerge from the shadow of the Evil Queen no matter how hard she tried either. When something or someone stood in the way of her having everything, she sought to destroy them and at the moment the only thing she wanted was to be with her outlaw even though he was married.

He knew what they were all thinking: once his beloved wife had ordered him to leave Storybrooke, he was still that magicless broken man she left at the town line. He imagined them all having a good laugh over it. What they were forgetting was that he'd had nothing before and survived and also the first curse had given him skills he never had before and during that curse he was still a powerful man.

Robert, he could no longer call himself Rumplestiltskin now, always knew how to save for a rainy day and when he gazed into the Snow Queen's mirror, he didn't want to believe the vision that appeared before his eyes, yet that didn't prevent him from preparing for it. Unbeknownst to everyone, he crossed the town line prior to the Curse of Shattered Sight being cast and travelled back to New York and opened a bank account that he deposited a large chunk of his fortune into.

He also made arrangements to take the New York State Bar Exam to become a corporate attorney. After all, deals were his specialty. The exam was scheduled for the following week; four days after his wife banished him.

The hat that he believed would be his salvation was nothing more than a cleverly baited trap that he did not see coming until it was far too late. And Hook, with all his threats and blackmailing for more than just getting his hand back needed to be gotten rid of. The man was still dangerous, only the so called heroes failed to see it. When they did, it would be too late for them too.

There were times when he still missed Belle. He once called her his light amidst an ocean of darkness but something had changed in her the day he died….or was it after? He wasn't certain since his mind wasn't always clear in the year he'd been Zelena's prisoner.

Many nights he lay awake wishing they'd just left him for dead. His son would still be alive and maybe would have gotten to know his son better. Instead, it had been Belle who fueled Bae's hopes that he could be resurrected and in doing so, she was as much responsible for Bae's death as Zelena.

Being that woman's captive for a year or knowing that his son would die if they were ever separated was not the fresh start he wanted when he rose from the Dark One vault. He still had nightmares about his year in that cage…how he'd been abused both physically and mentally, scars no one would ever see. He was too ashamed to let them see. And yet once he was free of her, the heroes dared to deny him justice when many of them extracted their own forms of justice in one way or another against their enemies, himself included.

Heroes don't kill, Regina had said.

 _Promise me you won't go after Zelena. You're better than that_ , his beloved pleaded instead of asking about his wellbeing or at least saying _something_ about the fact that he was a parent in mourning!

He wasn't even able to go to his own son's funeral….and he would never get that image out of his head….the son he held when he was a newborn babe, he held one last time as he breathed his last.

This wasn't how it was supposed to be _. A child buries a parent; a parent does not bury his child! Why didn't they just leave me there…WHY!?_

 _When did being a hero become more important than anything else, including mourning the loss of a loved one? I paid my respects to Regina and Cora even when BOTH tried to kill me…but for me when I buried my own child…NOTHING!_

 _They didn't even have enough respect to put his true name on his headstone. He is BAELFIRE GOLD. He will always be BAELFIRE to me not NEAL!_

His hands trembled as he fought back his tears. Even at the end, his son knew _he_ was the only one who could put an end to Zelena's machinations.

"…What have you done?"

"It's okay, Papa. I told her to."

"But why?"

"So you can tell her who the witch is so you can defeat her…"

The memories gripped him mercilessly.

"Thank you, Papa, for showing me what it is to make a true sacrifice. It's about saving the ones that you love."

"No."

"It's my turn now."

"No."

"I don't want to let you go."

"I need you to. Please. Let go."

"I love you, son."

"I... I love you, Papa."

"Bae…" Robert leaned his head against the window, the last of his self-control broken and allowed his tears to fall as they had so many times when he was alone.

The others may have forgotten him but his father never would. He only wished part of his plan had succeeded and he had Bae's son with him.

There was no hope of that now. He was certain the others would never allow him to see his grandson again so that Robert could tell him his side of the story.

Robert was still drying his eyes when his office door opened and his secretary Katherine walked in.

"Mr. Gold, I just wanted to remind you about the Crowley deposition tomorrow…Mr. Gold! Are you all right?" she asked worriedly.

"I'm all right, Katherine," he insisted, turning his back to her.

She frowned. He didn't look all right, not at all. She sensed from the moment he joined the firm that he was a man who built up tall walls around himself from harms done to him in the past and maintained a professional attitude at all times hoping someday one of those walls would come down and he would need someone to talk to…or just be there to listen.

"Why don't you sit down and I'll make you some tea?" she offered.

"Really, dearie, there's no need to fuss. I just had something in my eye," he lied.

"You've had a stressful day and the tea will help. Make yourself comfortable and I'll be right back," she insisted.

He decided it was better to humor her. He barely spoke to her in the six months he was with the firm but he had observed her interacting with the rest of the staff and she was something of a mother hen, always willing to listen when someone had a problem, offer them advice and sometimes she would bring them something she cooked or baked.

She returned to the office with two cups of tea and a plate of cookies, setting them down on the coffee table. For a moment she reminded him of Belle in the days when she was his castle's caretaker but he couldn't think of that Belle anymore. She was gone. He wondered if she was even real or a figment of his imagination.

Katherine handed him one of the cups of tea. "This is a new tea I picked up yesterday….I hope you like it."

He took a sip and sighed with satisfaction. "This is wonderful, dearie. What kind is it?"

"Cinnamon almond biscotti," she replied then handed him the plate of cookies. "Would you like to try one of these?"

"I believe I will…to see if you live up to your reputation as a baker," he teased.

He took a bite of one of the peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies, thinking he'd never tasted anything so divine in his three hundred and fifty three years. He finished the first cookie then reached for a second.

"You're in the wrong profession, dearie. You should be a baker…or a chef," he said to her.

"I just…dabble…" she said modestly.

"This is more than dabbling," Robert praised after he'd finished half of the tray and his tea. "And this tea is marvelous. I will have to get some of my own so that I don't drink all of yours."

"Oh, I don't mind."

Robert sighed. "I was thinking about my son. He….passed away almost a year ago….and before that we were….estranged….and were just getting to know each other again…"

"I am so sorry!" Katherine exclaimed. "I've lost so many dear to me in the past few years….it never gets any easier…but I cannot even begin to imagine the pain you're feeling."

"He…he was murdered….by an old acquaintance of mine…out of spite…I couldn't even go to his funeral….she…abducted me and held me prisoner in her home….tortured me…" Robert looked away as the tears started to fall again.

 _What the hell are you doing, Robert? You can't tell her all of this! She'll have you locked up!_

He couldn't explain it but his instincts were telling him that this was a person to be trusted. Katherine took a small pack of Kleenex out of her purse and handed one to him. He reminded her of one of her relatives who served overseas. Her cousin suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder for many years and Kat was able to recognize some of the signs of it in her boss even if she didn't spend all her time with him. He was overworking himself, there were dark circles under his eyes, suggesting he hadn't had a decent night's sleep in weeks, possibly months and when he did sleep, she had no doubts he had nightmares about his captivity. Everyone in her family knew not to touch her cousin while she was sleeping or had nightmares since she was in "battle mode" as she called it and could easily injure someone.

"Did the police arrest her?" Kat inquired gently.

He snorted. "They did but this was a small town and the sheriff is a former bail bonds person and thief who knew very little about the law and the woman who took me was the mayor's sister. They wanted to release her."

"Idiots! She deserved to go to the chair. Please tell me _you_ took care of it."

"I did. That woman is rotting in the deepest pit in hell!"

"Good!"

He only wished his wife had the same opinion. Instead she asked him to show that green skinned bitch mercy. Mercy? Mercy for murdering his only child and treating him worse than an animal? It was ludicrous! Sadly his wife had fallen in with the rest of that hypocritical lot where playing the hero was more important than justice.

One day he planned to return to show her, to show all of them that Rumplestiltskin was not so easily defeated. He wasn't that poor, cowardly spinner any longer. Yes, he had been afraid at first when he crossed that town line but all the preparations he made prior to it proved fruitful. He could still ruin them all without magic but for now his main concern was trying to find a way back for the one person who might still care for him, Henry. The boy was all he had left of Baelfire. The others tried to pretend he never existed. He would remind them. He would remind them all _none_ of them would have what they did without Bae. _He_ was the one who set the events in motion that freed them all from Zelena, not the so called Savior or her precious pirate who still had his own darkness in him whether he cared to admit it or not.

"You think I was justified?"

"Had I been there, Mr. Gold, I would've put in a few shots myself. No one deserves to be tortured and she did kill your son so she deserved what she got," Kat replied.

"My wife didn't think so. She threw me out for that and other things…."

"You never told her what happened, did you?"

"I was ashamed to but it wouldn't have mattered. Belle wants to be like the heroes in her books. She just doesn't understand that sometimes…"

"….Desperate times call for desperate measures," they said at the same time and stared at each other. "Mr. Gold, I mean no offense but your wife has to get her head out of her books and face reality. Sometimes you have to resort to unconventional methods to have justice. If those people had been in your situation they would've done the same thing whether they want to admit it or not. I cannot stand those holier-than-thou types who act like they don't have a skeleton or two in their closets. Trust me, if you dig deep enough, you find them."

 _They have graveyards in their closets, dearie, especially Hook and Regina._

Robert yawned. "It's getting late and I should be getting home but I do appreciate you taking time out of your schedule to chat with me a bit."

"Anytime you want to talk, just let me know. And…I don't want to be a pest…but I think you should consider talking to someone about your son…and what you went through…" Kat said hesitantly.

"I did have someone I could've gone to back home…but he probably thinks as the others do…I'm a monster…"

"I could do some research for you if you'd like, see if I can find someone here who can help you."

"You don't have to go to all that trouble…."

"Mr. Gold, it's no trouble at all. Will you be all right to drive home?"

"I'll be fine, Katherine. I will see you in the morning."

"You can call me Kat if you'd like."

"Kat it is then."

She followed him out to the garage. His black BMW was parked in its reserved space. Everyone knew which one it was because of the distinct license plate. Instead of numbers the plate read BAEGOLD and Kat suspected that was his son's name.

Kat didn't like driving at night, it was difficult on her eyes and though it was slightly out of her way, she followed Mr. Gold to make certain that he got home all right. He seemed calm as they were leaving the office but she wasn't taking any chances. Twenty minutes later he parked his car in his reserved space at his condo and stepped out, shocked when he saw Kat's car pull up beside him.

"Are you stalking me, dearie?" he teased.

"No….I…ahhh wanted to make sure you got home all right."

Robert took out his wallet and handed her a fifty dollar bill. "This should cover the gas you used."

"Mr. Gold! I couldn't…."

She attempted to hand the money back. He shook his head and put it back in her hand, closing her fingers around it. "It's the least I could do….I should be thankful there is someone in this world that still cares…"

"I know it can be hard to believe there are still some people in this world who think more of others than they do themselves….but we're here, Mr. Gold…we're here."

 _You have no idea how much I do care_ …Robert, she thought sadly.

Workplace relationships could be a double-edged sword as Kat learned from seeing some friends go through them and she never even considered having one with a co-worker or even a boss until she met Robert. Now that she knew just how much he was missing in his life, she wanted to be the one to give as much of it back to him as she could. His heart was guarded for now but they'd taken a step in the right direction. He was talking and trusting.

Later that night when she returned home she found sleep impossible. She turned on her laptop and pulled up the story she'd been writing on her computer. One of her dreams was to become a published writer but with the publication of books like Fifty Shades of Gray, now the major publishing houses were all bidding on erotic works. To her it wasn't literature. It was something that could have come out of a pornographic magazine.

The man in her story was not one of those young, pretty boy types. She hadn't realized until she was halfway through the story that her description matched Robert perfectly and the woman was a little like her though not completely. It was a historical romance set in the early 1800s. She loved writing historical pieces with a little bit of folklore and magic woven in.

She finished two chapters before she found herself nodding off in her chair, saved them to the hard drive and got ready for bed. She would have to be at the office early the following morning to help Robert prepare for the Crowley deposition.

 **New York City**

 **The same day**

Henry Mills sat on a bench near the school entrance playing Minecraft on his tablet while he waited for his ride. He could've taken the bus like the other children but his foster father insisted on picking him up himself. When he returned to his old school his friends were shocked when he told them that he no longer lived with his mother and was now being raised by a foster parent.

"It's her boyfriend," he said. "Not Walsh but some other guy she's seeing now. He's no good for her….I tried telling her that but she wouldn't listen to me so I left and moved in with Archie."

"Is he a friend of your family?"

"Ummm…yeah…sorta. It's kinda complicated. He was my therapist for a while…before I moved here."

"You were in therapy? I thought you and your mom got along good."

 _So did I but it was all lies…created with magic._

"Yeah...it was good for a while and then...everything started going crazy...everyone started going crazy and I felt like I didn't know them anymore. My dad is dead...and I don't know where my grandpa is or I would've gone to him...but Archie's always been there for me so he was the only person left I could go to."

"Wow. That sounds really crazy," his friend said feelingly.

 _You don't know the half of it_ , Henry thought.

He heard barking and looked up to see Pongo poking his head out of the passenger window of Archie's car. Henry smiled, picked up his backpack and got in. Pongo licked his cheek and returned to his place in the backseat.

"Hi, Archie!" Henry greeted.

"Hi, Henry. How was school today?"

"Good."

"Just 'good'? That doesn't sound very encouraging," Archie joked.

"I did get a hundred on that English test."

The therapist smiled. "And there you were worrying yourself silly over nothing. I knew you would pass it."

"The teacher gave us an essay to write…I'm gonna do mine on fairy tales…and heroes." Henry said.

"Henry…"

"I have to do this, Archie," the teenager said. "People have to know the truth about both…and I oughta be an expert on them by now…" he added bitterly.

Archie sighed. Henry wasn't the only one who had his illusions shattered and it wasn't just from that spell Ingrid cast on the town bringing out the worst in everyone. He and Geppetto had gotten into a terrible argument that day; the issue of what had happened to the other man's parents being brought up had been inevitable. They patched things up after the curse was broken but the episode left the therapist shaken.

"They're all different…have been since they came back here the second time." Henry said.

He couldn't argue with that.

"All they cared about was being heroes…well I tried doing that and look what happened to me….look what happened to Grandpa. I was his undoing….just like that Seer said. He DIED because of ME!"

"Henry, you know that's not true…." Archie began.

The teenager started to cry. "And then my dad died because he wanted to get back to me….and I wouldn't have known him if he did because they wouldn't let me see him!"

Archie pulled the car over and hugged him.

"The last time I saw him was the day I buried him. And I HATE them for that!"

He sobbed into Archie's shoulder. "The…the last time Grandpa saw him was when he died!"

He looked up at his foster parent with tear filled eyes. "Grandpa was changing, trying to be better…then she took him…and made him do terrible things…kept him locked up like an animal….but no one really tried hard enough to get him out. They expected him to be the good boy after that…"

He may have gotten his degree from a curse but Archie knew the signs and symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder when he saw them and Rumplestiltskin's behavior, attributed to just being plain evil and a villain by the others looked too much like PTSD to him. He had episodes of it himself when Hook was around and went out of his way to avoid his former captor.

"I'm glad Grandpa killed Zelena! She never would've changed. She killed my dad…she almost killed me, she wanted my moms dead and God only knows what she woulda done to Neal. Then she would've gotten the dagger from Belle and used it to control him again."

And that's why he switched them, Archie thought. He couldn't trust anyone not to try to control him again, even Belle.

They both looked so happy that night at the wishing well when he watched them speak their vows, never realizing until later what was brewing beneath the surface.

"We're going to find him, Henry," Archie vowed. "He needs you now as much as you need him."

"Did that detective you hired come up with anything?" he asked hopefully.

"She's still working on it. Your grandfather's a smart man, Henry. He knows how to survive with or without magic. We're not going to find him wandering the streets of New York."

That was the teenager's greatest fear, that his grandfather was homeless on the streets of New York, back to the poor spinner his father grew up with yet part of him wished his grandfather was living in a high rise somewhere as rich as he was in Storybrooke.

Little did he know, that was exactly where the man once known as Rumplestiltskin was, living in a condominium seven blocks away from their own apartment under the name Robert Baelfire Gold.

Archie believed that once Henry found his grandfather, his healing process would begin. He decided he was going to give Jeanna a call after dinner for a progress report.

They had just finished watching a movie after dinner when they heard a knock on their door. Pongo jumped off the couch and raced over to it, barking.

"That'll be Jeanna," Archie said and opened the door. Jeanna O'Malley had been recommended to him by a colleague when he asked whom the best private investigator in town was and when he showed up her office for their first appointment he was shocked by how much she didn't resemble the private investigators he'd seen on TV. She was his height with ginger hair, dressed in plaid shirts, jeans, cowboy boots, drove a truck and spoke with a thick Southern accent. She also insisted on calling him 'Doc' instead of Doctor Hopper.

"You rang?" she greeted him as she always did and kneeled down to pet Pongo.

"Yes. I was wondering if you've had any luck locating Henry's grandfather."

"I've been checking every hospital, clinic and homeless shelter in this city and I haven't found your man yet. I've even been doing through death records and zilch! A city this big, I should've been able to find something but your boy's a damned ghost. Are you sure he came here?"

"It's where my dad lived. Yeah….he'd want to," Henry insisted.

Jeanna scowled at Archie. "You owe me big time for this, Doc."

"I agreed to cover your expenses. Just send me the bill."

"Better hope you have deep pockets Doc because it's gonna be huge."

"My only concern is finding Henry's grandfather, not how much I have to spend doing it."

She already had an idea in mind on how to settle her bill and it wouldn't require a great deal of money but she wondered how he would react when she made her proposal.

Getting attached to a client was not a habit of hers but she was touched by Doctor Hopper's devotion to his foster son and he wasn't like her other male clients. Most of them just wanted to know who their wives were cheating with but a few of those wives were perfectly innocent while the husbands had their own flings on the side. A few of them even tried putting the moves on her until a kick in the balls with the steel toed boots she brought from Texas along with a give 'em hell attitude made them see the error of their ways.

"Jeanna, maybe you should try law firms," Henry suggested.

"Law firms? Oh, that's right. You did say your granpa was a lawyer, right...and he owned a pawn shop? Was basing my search on what you told me of the night his wife kicked him outta town."

"My grandpa's not stupid. He probably knew what was coming down and prepared for it. He always did that. Saved for a rainy day as he liked to say."

"I'll scout out a few of the smaller firms first but I've got a hate/hate relationship with lawyers. Could tell you a few jokes about 'em too. If we have a nuclear war, they'll be the ones to survive along with the roaches."

"Just keep us posted...as always."

"Siccing me on lawyers is gonna cost you double Doc. Just warning you."

"Fine but I think Henry is right and Mr. Gold either works for a firm here in town or owns a pawnshop."

"Pawnbrokers are worse than lawyers sometimes."

"Is there anyone you don't have something smart to say about?" Archie muttered.

 _Yeah. You._

She would have to keep that to herself...for now.

Over at his condo, Robert was tossing and turning in his bed, seeing himself back in Zelena's cage again, the only food he was allowed to eat was cold oatmeal with dirty water to drink. His toilet was an old chamberpot that she made him empty once a day, the stench turning his stomach. He could also hear his son inside his head, trying to find a way to escape, for both of them to escape and stop the watch from succeeding with her plans.

 _You can't leave me, Bae. You'll die if you do. I can't let you go. Promise me you'll stay with me!_

 _As long as we're both here in this body, the others will never know who she is. You have to tell them and the only way you can is if I can get out._

 _Let them find out on their own. Emma is the Savior, isn't she? She needs to do her damned job and stop mooning over that pirate!_

 _They need YOU more than me. If Emma_ _can't defeat her YOU can._

 _I can do nothing as long as she holds the dagger, Bae. With you here, her ability to control me is weakened. Once we're separated, nothing will stop her. She will command me…and I will have to obey._

 _NO! You can fight it! You've fought the darkness off before._

 _Because I was my own master, Bae._

 _You won't be able to hurt the ones you care about, Papa. You never have. Even though that Seer told you Henry would be your undoing, you SAVED him. You SAVED ALL OF US!_

Once again he saw that final, agonizing day when his son gave his life for him, just as he'd given his life for his son. It was a day that would haunt him forever. And on that day he vowed his son would be avenged.

Then another day haunted his dreams….him holding Zelena in his arms, kissing her, playing on her desire for him in the hopes that her lust would blind to her his plans to take back his freedom, forgetting that she'd paid close attention to his lessons and warded the dagger against any attempts to steal it.

"Celebration's over. Back to your cage…doll!" she sneered.

He now saw his wife's face, the dagger in her hand, ordering him to leave town and never return, revoking his right to freedom once again as she had on the day she made him promise he would not seek justice for his son's murder. The naïve fool! Zelena taunted him many times with what she wanted to do to his true love if she ever had the chance.

Her favorite was wanting to watch him struggle as she commanded him with the dagger to take Belle's heart and crush it. He would have sooner driven the dagger into his own heart again than harm Belle. It was why he ordered her to leave when she attempted to rescue him. If he did not have the will to do it, Zelena would have taken Belle's heart herself and crushed it in jealousy for that was all it was.

He woke up sweating and trembling violently. Unable to go back to sleep, he went to the kitchen to pour himself a cup of tea, jotting down the kind Kat had given him on the notepad on the kitchen table. He would pick some up in the morning on his way to the office. He also gave her other piece of advice some thought, that he should seek professional help for his problems. There were some parts of it that could never be revealed but he wanted to believe Kat was right…and there were people out there who still could give a damn.

He wrote down the names of several psychologists and clinics to call in the morning to see if one of them would take him as a patient.


	2. Reunions and Revelations

**~ Reunions And Revelations ~**

 **Authors Notes: We would like to thank everyone for the positive responses this story has gotten so far, especially to the Faithful Followers who encouraged us to get this story out there! This is for YOU Dearies!**

They barely had time to talk before the Crowley deposition but when Robert walked into his office the following morning, he found a box containing some of Kat's favorite teas on his desk.

During the deposition, they were both every inch the professionals though Kat was still worried when she noticed the dark circles under his eyes. He asked her to cancel several meetings that day and his lunch reservations which he never did before.

When it came time for her to take her lunch, she called the restaurant where he usually dined and ordered his lunch for him, asking it to be delivered around two that afternoon. She was hoping he wouldn't get upset but she wasn't going to sit by and watch him work himself into an early grave.

He was on the phone when she walked into the office carrying the bag from the restaurant.

"I've called every bloody office in this godforsaken town and no one is taking new patients but this one. The man's board certified, isn't he? Surely he can clear a place in his damned schedule to take an adult patient!"

Hearing that he was trying to contact a therapist made her smile. He'd taken that piece of her advice to heart at least. He covered the mouthpiece with his hand.

"What's that?"

"Your lunch."

"Kat!"

"Mr . Gold, you have to eat."

"Dearie, tell me you did NOT use your own money to pay for that!"

"No...they ahhh...said they would charge it to you."

"Good. I won't have you spending your money on me. You should be buying things for yourself."

"I do but I like to spend on others more than myself. I don't need much."

Neither did I...once upon a time...he thought sadly. He removed his hand from the mouthpiece and continued speaking to the person on the other line. "Fine. You talk to the doctor and ask him if he can fit me into his schedule, the sooner the better. And I would like a phone call back today. I don't enjoy playing phone tag, dearie. Thank you, and have a good day."

Kat giggled from her chair. "Now, that's the Mr. Gold I like to see."

"I may have been a bit harsh, but I've given what you said some thought and I do need to talk to someone...I just don't think I can tell a doctor everything I went through. I can't even tell you everything I went through."

"I understand." She picked up her own lunch and was about to leave the office.

"No sense eating alone," Robert said and gestured to the chair she'd just vacated. She was thankful that he'd invited her to stay with him while they ate their lunch even though they didn't speak. She was hoping that Robert would be able to meet with the therapist soon and get started back on the road to recovery. It would not get his son back but he would at least be able to find some peace.

"I think I'll do this more often, or we should," he said with a smile.

"Oh...but the others will talk..." Kat said nervously.

"Let them. I see nothing wrong with two people being friends as well as work together, do you dearie?"

"Umm...no I guess not."

"It's settled then. Tomorrow you will choose where we have lunch."

"That sounds wonderful Mr. Gold. I should get back to my desk. Don't want my boss to catch me taking a long break," she quipped.

Robert giggled.

"Oh, I think he'll cut you some slack."

As she was walking out of the office she collided with a tall auburn haired woman.

"Is Mr. Gold in?" she asked in a Southern accent.

"Do you have an appointment?" Kat inquired suspiciously.

"No, but I do need to speak to him."

"I'm afraid you won't be able to do that without a...hey, get back here!" Kat yelled as the woman breezed past her and entered Robert's office. "Mr. Gold, I am so sorry. I tried to stop her!"

Robert glared at the other woman. "And just who might you be, dearie that you think you can just barge into my office without an appointment?" he demanded of her.

"I'd like to ask you a few questions."

"Then make an appointment like everyone else!" he snapped.

"I prefer to catch my subjects off guard," the woman answered boldly.

"Mr. Gold, do you want me to call security?" Kat asked.

"What are you, a reporter?"

"Private investigator. Name's Jeanna O'Malley. You match the description of someone I've been hired to find."

Robert's hand gripped the handle of his cane tightly. What could those so-called heroes want of him now? Or was it Belle that hired her, realizing she'd made a mistake sending him away? His heart lifted.

Kat turned away, her own heart sinking as she had the same thought Robert did; that his wife was looking for him in the hopes that they could reconcile. She felt the other woman didn't deserve Robert but judging from the expression on his face, he still cared for his former wife even after she'd thrown him out of his life like trash.

"Who hired you?"

"I prefer to keep my client's name confidential."

Robert stood up, his eyes narrowed to slits. "You'd better tell me."

"Are you threatening me, Mr. Gold?"

"Now do you want me to call security?" Kat pressed.

"No, no, I'll handle this. Miss O'Malley, whatever your client is paying you, I'll triple it if you tell me their name."

"Look, all I'm going to tell you is that the man asked me to find you. If you want to know why I suggest you take it up with him and as far as tripling my pay, I'll be taking that up with him too because I don't like people threatening me!" She handed Robert a cellphone. "He's number six on my speed dial. Call him."

Robert snatched the phone out of her hand and pressed the number six on her speed dial. The phone rang several times before someone picked up.

"Jeanna...I'm getting ready for a session..." Robert heard a familiar voice on the line saying.

Why is HE looking for me? Robert thought.

"Why are YOU looking for me, cricket?" Robert demanded coldly.

Archie was expecting Mr. Gold to be angry. "Would you excuse me for a moment, please? I'm with a patient and it'll be just a few more minutes..."

"I'm calling you back, cricket and then you're going to start chirping!"

Kat and Jeanna looked at each other wondering why Mr. Gold insisted on calling the man a cricket. On the other end of the line, Archie's hand was trembling. He'd heard Hook use a line similar to that one just before he started torturing him to find out what Rumple's weakness was. He never meant to tell them about Belle but as soon as that hook cut into the side of his stomach his control broke. He still had the scar and he never told the others what happened on that ship before Belle rescued him. He still couldn't understand why she trusted the man now.

"I'll be right back, Mr. Gold," he assured him and hung up glanced over at the teenager that just entered the office. "Now then Kevin, let's talk about what happened at school yesterday..."

Jeanna glared at Robert. "I don't know how the hell you think you are but if you keep threatening me and my client, I'm calling the cops!"

"You're lucky I'm not calling them for you trespassing!" Kat retorted. "Look, why don't you just make it easier on all of us and tell us what's going on? Mr. Gold, you seem to know the man who hired her. Who is he?"

"His name is Archie Hopper. He's a...therapist back where I used to live."

"No, he lives right here in New York," Jeanna said. "With his adopted son, Henry."

"What?" Robert exclaimed. "A...are you saying...Henry is here?"

And how the hell did you adopt him without Regina or the Savior putting up a fight, cricket? Robert thought, amused. It seemed now the he wasn't the only one fed up with the so-called 'heroes'. The two of them were going to have a lot to talk about.

"He's the reason Doctor Hopper hired me. They wanted to find you but if you want to know more, you really should ask Doctor Hopper."

"Kat, my grandson. He's here!" Robert said to Kat.

"That's wonderful Mr. Gold!" Having his grandson in his life would make Robert's adjustment much easier in Kat's opinion.

Jeanna's phone rang a few minutes later.

"Hey Doc."

"Is everything all right?" he asked worriedly.

"Yes, it's fine. Here, I'll let you talk to Mr. Gold." She handed the phone to Robert.

"You're here? In New York? With Henry?"

"Yes, I am. We came here not long after you left but I would prefer to talk about this in person. Henry gets off school at four and we can drive over to your place and we'll talk about it then. Jeanna...doesn't know everything and I'd like to keep it that way for now."

"Then Henry...wants to see me?" Robert asked hopefully. The boy was all he had left of his beloved Bae.

"Yes he does. We want to hear your side of this. Can you give me your address?"

Robert told him.

"That's not far from where we live!"

"Fate works in mysterious ways, Hopper. I'll see you this afternoon."

Jeanna breathed a sigh of relief. "Are you done threatening us now?" she demanded of Robert.

"You can relax dearie. I just want to see my grandson, that's all. Had you told me from the beginning he was the one looking for me, I wouldn't have been so hostile."

"Doctor Hopper wanted everything to be kept confidential and I always respect my client's wishes."

"Hmmm...you're good at your job, Miss O'Malley. I may have a job for you soon."

"If you don't need anything else from me, I'll be going now."

"Yes, and thank you Miss O'Malley."

Once she left the office, Robert sat down at his desk, a small smile on his lips. "My grandson...here in New York...and he wants to see me... It's truly a miracle, Kat."

"Did you have a falling out?" she inquired gently.

"No, no...I just didn't find out he was my grandson until recently and we were just starting to get to know each other before...my separation from my wife...who may not even be my wife...legally."

He hadn't given that much though before but he was now. Archie officiated the small private ceremony and the couple was going to file for an actual marriage license once they came to New York but those plans had been shot to hell. Part of him wanted to know if she still considered them married or if she had moved on. He was hoping Archie could provide an answer to that question and if he couldn't, Jeanna O'Malley could if he could get her into Storybrooke.

"I don't understand. How could you not be married?"

"We had a small ceremony with only Belle's father and Doctor Hopper in attendance...he officiated."

"Did you have a marriage license or a certificate?"

"Neither."

"And you weren't married by a judge, justice of the peace or a minister?"

"No."

"Then you're right, Robert. The marriage isn't legal."

He sighed heavily. "And I think I rushed it a bit Kat. It wasn't that long after I was finally released from that woman who held me captive. I'd missed Belle so much and wanted to be with her that I didn't consider the possibility that it was too soon."

"You needed time to grieve for your son first and deal with what happened to you. Did the two of you discuss that at all?"

He shook his head. "There was a lot going on in the town after we got married that we barely had any time for each other much less for me to cope with my issues."

"This Doctor Hopper, why didn't you ask him to help you?"

"I...didn't think he could."

"Maybe he can now," Kat suggested.

Truth be told, Robert would feel more comfortable talking to Archie because he could tell the former cricket everything without sounding like a madman in need of a straitjacket and a padded cell. "I suppose you're right."

He was about to call the other therapist's office back when the phone on his desk rang. He picked it up. "Hello?"

"Oh, so it was you calling my office giving my nurse a rough time!" Archie exclaimed. "Are you serious about wanting to talk to me...about what happened? Because if you are I'll make some room in my schedule."

"Yes. I am."

"We'll talk about that more this evening too."

"All right Hopper. I'll see you then."

Robert was giggling when he hung up the phone. "The fates seem to be having a go at me, Kat. I've been calling Hopper's office all morning to set up my appointment."

Kat smiled. "If they are, it's for the right reasons."

A message popped up on his phone reminding him that he had a meeting to attend. He grabbed his briefcase and limped out the door, stopping by Kat's desk to pick up some of the research she'd done for him. He smiled. The defendants in his latest case were going to have to start paying closer attention to the fine print on their contracts if they expected to be paid a dime for making an accusation of a breach. It was how most of the lawsuits he handed were dropped even before they made it to a courtroom. They reminded him too much of all the people in the Enchanted Forest who made deals with him then complained when everything went sour...all because they didn't bother to read the entire contract before signing. For the moment Robert focused on securing a victory for his client, counting the hours until he could see Bae's son again.

Archie had just finished a session with a patient when his office door opened and Jeanna breezed in. The private investigator had a nasty habit of forgetting how to knock and although some of her habits annoyed him, she wasn't fibbing when she'd promised him that when a client expected results, she delivered. She sat down in the chair across from him and propped her feet up on his desk.

"You owe me big time for this one, Doc."

"So you keep reminding me," Archie said a sigh. He was still getting used to outsiders and their bold mannerisms, hers being the most frustrating at times. He reached into his desk drawer and took out his checkbook. "But, you did locate my adopted son's grandfather as promised and I'll be happy to pay you whatever you decide is appropriate for your trouble." Knowing her he expected it to be a sizable sum. His pen poised over the checkbook ready to write. "Now...ummm...how much do you want me to make this out for?"

"Dinner," she blurted.

He looked up. Had he heard her right? "Excuse me?"

"Dinner. You and me...somewhere right here in New York," she proposed.

He frowned. "I don't think that would be appropriate. I'm your client."

"Former client," she corrected. "I found your adopted son's grandfather and let me tell you Doc, he reminds me a bit too much of Michael Corleone. I thought for a minute he was going to whack me with that cane of his or make me sleep with the fishes unless I told him who hired me. What's his deal, anyway?"

"Trust is...well...it's difficult for him. He didn't leave our hometown on good terms. Let's leave it at that."

"Still the guy scares me and I don't like the idea of you meeting him alone."

"Henry will be with me. All Mr. Gold wants is to see his grandson."

"You sure he doesn't have a score to settle with you? He seemed kinda hostile to you when you first got on the phone."

"Jeanna I appreciate your concern but it's not necessary. We'll get everything straightened out once we talk." He picked up the pen again. "Now, we were discussing your fee..."

"I'm not joking, Doc. Dinner is my fee," she insisted.

"May I ask why?"

"Why I'm asking you to dinner? Hmmm...let me think...you're a good looking single man...I'm a single woman...we somewhat get along...and I get the feeling you don't get out much."

"I don't," he admitted. "And I honestly don't know that much about New York..."

"Then let me pick the place. I'm not the fancy type."

"I figured that out myself," he mumbled. "All right. But not tonight."

"I wasn't expecting to go out tonight. But maybe this weekend?"

He smiled. "That sounds fine to me."

She stood up. "Call me after you meet with Gold."

"I will."

He was hoping that if everything worked out with Gold Henry would spend the weekend with his grandfather. They needed that time to bond, time that they never had in Storybrooke due to the town being bombarded by one villain after another. It was another reason why Archie didn't hesitate the second time he thought about leaving. The arrival of the Snow Queen proved that the town was never going to be a safe place for Henry to live in, for anyone to live in.

Henry was waiting for Archie in his usual place and when the teenager saw his adoptive father's car pull into the parking lot, he grabbed his backpack and raced over to it.

"Hi Henry. How was school today?' Archie greeted him as he always did when he got in the car.

"Good."

"Jeanna called me at the office this afternoon and...she found your grandfather."

"She did? Is he okay?"

"He doesn't live that far from us actually...and he's an attorney with a firm here in New York."

Henry nodded. "He's too smart to have ended up on the streets Archie but I was still worried. He...hasn't really been himself since he...died."

"You have to understand that he was in captivity for over a year...and didn't get to see your father...until it was too late." Archie sighed. "And I don't think he and Belle even talked about any of that. They should've waited to get married. It was too soon."

"You officiated the ceremony. Why didn't you say anything if you had your doubts about it?"

"I didn't want to make waves...but I will be honest Henry I was even more concerned when I heard them speak their vows...Belle's disturbed me the most. To me it sounded like she wasn't even speaking marriage vows but telling your grandfather what she didn't like about him."

Henry's eyes widened. "What did she say?"

Archie repeated what he heard that night to the teenager. "But I just stood there and pretended to be happy for them but inside I was thinking that I should have said something. Whether they would have taken my advice and stopped the ceremony, I don't know. Maybe having to leave Storybrooke was better for him."

"It has been for us," Henry muttered.

"I told him we would go over to his place and talk with him, hear his side of things."

"Yeah. We need to. I know we haven't really been all that close but he's all I have left now of my dad...and he did try to get to know me...before it all went to hell." The teenager scowled. "It's his curse, Archie. That's part of what makes him do things he doesn't want to do. Maybe we can break it."

"That's one of the things we should talk about when we get there," Archie said.

Robert puttered around in his apartment waiting for them to arrive. He knew the doorman would announce them before they came up, but he wanted everything to be perfect. He straightened out the throw pillows on the couch, they were a deep green and off set the golden brown suede sectional perfectly. This room was done in muted earth tones, with a mahogany entertainment center along the wall, the shelves filled with books and some antiques he'd purchased plus a large screen TV

On a table near the sectional was a picture of Bae, one of the few he had of his son, playing with Henry.

There were a few other paintings of a seascape and a valley on the walls they were done by local artists but Gold liked them.

He moved into his neatly appointed kitchen, half the size of his one in Storybrooke, but also done in shades of warm cream with splashes of sunflowers on the tile and a rich brown oak counters, table and chairs. It had all the modern appliances and he had set out a tea service with scones, butter, jam, and sugar and cream.

The tea inside was his own Yorskhire Gold blend, a robust tea that turned a golden color when you put milk in it.

The intercom on the wall buzzed loudly and seconds later the doorman's voice came over the speaker. "Mr Gold?"

The doorman, whose name was Peter despised most of the tenants in the building but not Mr. Gold. The attorney was always kind to him when he passed him coming in and out of the building and sometimes the two of them would stand outside and chat while Peter would take a short break during his shift. There was a younger man on duty at night that no one seemed to like because he obviously didn't enjoy his job.

"Mr. Gold? Sir? I have some people here asking to see you."

"Yes, Peter? Are they Mr. Hopper and my grandson, Henry?"

"They are. Shall I send them up?"

"Please do."

As Henry and Archie walked down the hall to Robert's apartment, Henry couldn't help being amazed by how luxurious his grandfather's building was. It was a far cry from the salmon Victorian he once lived in but he seemed to be doing well for himself. He was still a bit nervous about seeing Rumple again. They never got a chance to talk before Belle had banished him. He raised his hand and gently rapped on the front door.

The door swung open and Mr. Gold said, "Hey Henry, Archie. Come in."

"Ummm...hi...Grandpa..." Henry said nervously and followed Archie into the apartment.

"Thank you for letting us come over," Archie added.

Both looked around the apartment, seeing that Rumple still had his refined tastes when it came to decorating his new home along with all the modern conveniences but when Henry glanced down at the coffee table and saw a photograph of his father, tears brimmed in the corners of his eyes.

He picked it up and gazed down at the face of the man he barely got a chance to know before he was brutally taken away from him. "Dad..."

Then he raised his eyes and met those of his grandfather. "They act like he never existed..."

Archie simply stood back to allow Rumple to make the first move to connect with his grandson.

"I think they would have preferred it that way," Gold said tightly, his hand coming up to rest gently on the boy's shoulder. "But no matter how hard they try, they can never do so. You're living proof of him, and so am I. They can lie to themselves all they want but we know the truth."

"Are you okay...I mean...you look okay...and you live like you used to but..." he trailed off.

He took a deep breath before he started again. "Stupid question, wasn't it...I guess...I've just always had a hard time trying to figure out what to say to you...because all that time I knew you as Mr. Gold...Rumplestiltskin...the Dark One..."

"Go on Henry," Archie encouraged, knowing how important this meeting was to his adopted son.

"All I ever knew was their side of the story...but...now I want to hear yours."

"Why don't we sit down then?" Gold invited. "I have tea and scones for you, if you would like them."

Archie and Henry sat down on the couch, Henry still holding his father's photograph and staring down at his smiling face. The photograph was taken right there in New York when his father introduced him to New York pizza.

"I'll have a cup of tea," Archie said and put his arm around Henry's shoulders.

"Henry?"

"Do you have...cocoa with cinnamon?"

Lately cocoa with cinnamon had become his comfort beverage.

"Of course I do," he said and hurried into the kitchen to make some. He could have kicked himself for not remembering that.

In the living room Henry was still holding onto the photograph of his father. "Do you think...he'd let me keep this Archie?"

"I don't know. You could ask."

"I hate telling him I couldn't find all the pictures I took...before we left."

"We'll talk about it with him."

Archie got up and went into the kitchen to check on Rumple.

"Mr. Gold? Is everything all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine," he replied, sprinkling cinnamon over the top of the hot cocoa.

"I'm sorry for disturbing you...but...I've been concerned about both of you since...your son..."

"It hasn't been easy for me," Gold admitted. "Especially not . . .being able to attend his funeral or anything because I was a prisoner."

Archie nodded. "He didn't talk much about it either...until we left Storybrooke."

He picked up the tray of scones and carried it into the living room.

"Grandpa, after Pan...I know Zelena had you locked up but what happened...everyone said you went evil again."

Though there had been that time in his shop during the power outage when his grandfather was behaving normally.

"Everyone didn't understand what happened to me while she had me caged," Robert replied. "Do you know what PTSD is, Henry?"

"Yes. Archie talked to me about it. It's what he thinks you have."

"I've been trying to explain it to Henry based on my own observations," Archie put in.

"Did she...beat you...?"

Gold winced. "Yes, it is what I have. And yes, sometimes she did, and you have to understand something, when she had possession of the dagger, anything she wished to do to me, or wished me to do, I had to do-even if I hated myself afterwards and would never have done so on my own. The holder of the dagger-it's not just a compulsion, the holder of the dagger-control my soul, Henry. Not just my body-my SOUL. The very thing that makes me . . .ME. The dagger curse is one of possession you see, and I am the host, because that's how you control the Dark One, through me."

"Can it be broken...without true love's kiss?"

"I don't know. I used to think maybe the hat I found could help me, but now I have no clue. No one has ever tried before to break this curse except one way."

"You're not dying again. You're all I have left of my dad!"

"Hey. I have no intention of dying . . but the fact is that I cannot beak my curse myself. That is the thing Belle always failed to understand. She expected me to defeat the primordial darkness of the universe with only my small amount of belief. And because I was cursed, I could not. She expected me to become what I was before, because she thought love alone could break this. It can't. It needs something more. Away from the dagger, I am now more myself than I have ever been, but a piece of me is still bound to it. And a cursed person cannot break his own curse, cannot simply change to be the man she felt I should be. That is one of the laws of magic-and it is the one law that she never grasped . . .or anyone else."

"If we destroy the dagger...would that break it?" Archie inquired.

He sighed. "The other thing she could not grasp . . .is that though I normally favor peace over violence-me that is, not the Dark One-there are times when I cannot do so. Bae's murder was one of those times. Belle asked me to promise her to not go after Zelena-it was one of the first things out of her mouth when she brought me the dagger, even before she gave it to me...she wanted me to promise not to hurt that psycho bitch and I . . .I couldn't do it. My boy was dead because of her-because she couldn't face the sacrifice needed to resurrect me from the Vault, and so she relied on trickery-and Belle and Bae fell for it." His eyes flashed. "After all I had endured at her hands-physically and emotionally and . . .no, I could not just "forgive and forget" what she had done to me and mine. I don't know how anyone could . . .or why Belle would ever put conditions on returning my dagger to me. But she did . . .and so I gave her the only answer I could- I said I would try-I did not promise her anything."

"You never talked about what happened at all?" Archie inquired gently.

"She . . .didn't seem to want to hear about it. Before we were married . . .I had nightmares over some things . . .and I didn't want to tell her lest she think I was a coward. She also took such . . .pride in carrying around my fake dagger yet I felt if I couldn't trust her with my soul, how could I trust her with what had been done to me at Zelena's hands? Then there was the time portal and the whole thing with that foolish child Elsa and her twit sister . . .I was desperate to free myself of the dagger curse then, and Belle didn't seem to see that, or even to care about it, she was often at the library late, or babysitting for the Charmings, who seemed to go out a hell of a lot more than I ever did when I had a baby to care for . . .and the darkness was overwhelming me, feeding off my pain and despair."

He coughed. "And then that miserable pirate came to blackmail me for his hand back . . ."

"Mr. Gold...Rumple..." Archie put a hand on his arm, sensing the older man was having an anxiety attack.

The former sorcerer's confession also confirmed Archie's suspicions that all was not right in Mr. Gold and Belle's relationship before the wedding.

Robert felt like he couldn't breathe, he felt lke he was smothering again, recalling the way the darkness had ambushed him, as it always did, and sang its seductive slimy siren song through his veins. "I . . .told . . .I . . ."

"Grandpa!" Henry cried. He rushed to Robert's side and hugged him tightly. "It's okay...she's dead...she can't get you!"

"Keep talking to him,Henry," Archie coached.

The feel of his grandson's arms about him made Robert tremble and he clutched Henry for dear life, trying to do some of the calming exercises he'd read about on the internet. "Sorry . . ." he babbled because his first instinct when something went wrong was for him to apologize for it, he had been conditioned for so long to automatically take the blame for things since he was a lad and his papa had abandoned him.

"It's gonna be okay, Grandpa. I'm here. We're here."

"Rumple, I want you to take a few deep breaths for me, can you do that?" Archie was asking.

He began trying to do so, and slowly the smothering feeling passed and he could breathe normally again. "I'm sorry . . .I thought . . .sometimes when I remember what happened . . .I get afraid . . ." He shut his eyes. "Perhaps it's better that Bae didn't see . . .me like this."

"He would've understood!" Henry exclaimed. "Mom said...that's why he made her separate you...because YOU could stop her!"

"And look how well that turned out," his grandfather replied bitterly. "I couldn't stop her . . .not when she could command my soul . . .the only time I could do so . . .was when I took back my dagger from Belle. I had to . . .I couldn't spend another night sleepless and dreading the nightmares, while she was sitting pretty in the jail cell, that I knew Regina would eventually release her from, after she bought into the bitch's lies about "reformation". Zelena knew how to do one thing really well-she knew how to tell you what you wanted to hear. And I couldn't risk that happening, not after everything I had gone through. Not that anyone seemed to care . . .not even my wife!"

"Why did you marry her Rumple if that was how you felt?"

"Because I wanted . . .after Bae was gone . . .I wanted someone . . .to love me . . .and I thought . . .she could fill the empty place inside of me. She told me once she would never stop fighting for me . . .but that was before I died and before . . .Zelena tainted me. And before Belle assumed that my trusting her with my dagger meant she could just keep it forever. I thought . . .she would refuse to have it, would tell me she didn't need it but she kept it, saying that as long as she held it she believed in me, and it showed that I had changed for the better."

Archie sighed deeply. "I should've stopped the ceremony after she spoke her 'vows'."

Gold looked sad. "I tried . . .I tried to warn her that she was getting not just me-but the curse I still bore . . .and I asked her so many times why she loved a monster, and she said . . she said the monster was gone, but it wasn't . . and I knew that best of all. Curses need to be broken." Then he leveled a stare at Archie. "You shouldn't blame yourself, Hopper. We wouldn't have listened to you anyhow."

"I still feel that some of this could've been avoided had I said something."

"No. We both had . . ..unrealistic expectation of what marriage was like. I thought it would mean someone to love me unconditionally-the way Milah and Cora never did. And Belle thought . . .well from what she told me before she banished me-she thought I should always put her first in our relationship. And I tried . . .I did try . . .but it wasn't enough. It never is."

"Grandpa, I hate to tell you this but...she's with someone else and still living in your house..." Henry blurted.

Robert paled. "She's . . .what? With who?" He knew everyone in Storybrooke and surely no one would have dared to . . .date the Dark One's WIFE? "But . . . we're still married! How could-?" He cut himself off. He knew how. He'd been through this before, with Milah, after all. But he'd never expected Belle to be like Milah. He felt anguish slice his heart to ribbons.

"Henry, we agreed we would wait until later to tell..."

"Some guy named Will...one of Robin Hood's Merry Men."

"A thief? She's taken up with an outlaw?" Gold repeated bitterly. "Well, I shouldn't be surprised. My first wife, your grandmother, took up with a scummy pirate."

"I'm sorry ,," Archie said sadly.

"Don't. I suppose she felt that after she rid herself of my . . .evil presence, she wanted a real man to try. After all, who could love a beast?"

"If you ask me they live in Storybrooke," Henry grumbled.

"What does this man look like? Is he tall? Handsome? With muscles and can walk without a cane?"

"Ehhh...not really...He's about your height...the book says he's the Knave Of Hearts."

"I wonder what she sees in him?" he muttered. "Did you ever meet him?"

"Yeah...but I was curious so I looked around where he lived out in the woods and I found out he's married...to the Red Queen."

"How nice. They're both adulterers," Gold sneered. "So she's living in my house but keeping company with another man. And I supposed no one's even talking about this?"

"No and that was what puzzled me, Rumple."

"They probably think she's better off. Though . . .you know how gossips are, they talk about anything and everyone, no matter what. Especially the ones in that town."

"Maybe we can have Jeanna find out?" Henry suggested.

"Yes, that would be a good idea," Robert agreed. "Ever since the pirate and Emma came back from that jaunt through time . . .there's been something . . .not right about the goings on there. I can't put my finger on it, but something's strange. I thought it was just me, since my curse often makes me suspicious of everyone, but now . . ."

"How would she get in, Henry? And to be honest I don't know who I should feel more sorry for if she's loose in Storybrooke, them or her."

"I think that spell only applies to us, Archie."

"Him rather," Robert corrected. "I think the whole town line border applies only to those brought back and forth using the Dark Curse as a vehicle. You were never part of it, either time, so you're able to go back and forth without anything happening to you."

"I'm not going back if you don't."

"Well, dearie, I can't go back . . .as long as Belle has my dagger, her command over my soul is absolute. Besides, I rather like it here. I can finally be free of the old stigma of coward and Dark One."

"I don't want to go back...they're all strangers to me now," Archie murmured.

"And I won't have my moms go back on their word and try to take me away from you."

"Speaking of that, Rumple...we need to discuss some arrangements regarding Henry."

"Yes, I figured you might. We'll need to discuss custody rights . . .mostly those regarding your adoption with Regina, since as far as I know Emma never legally had custody with you."

"Neither of them do now Grandpa. I made them sign a paper giving Archie custody of me."

"You did? And why did you do that?"

"I had the same feelings you did. That I couldn't trust them anymore. They were too busy worrying about Hook and Robin to make time for me. They were trying to pretend my father didn't exist...that you didn't. And it started after that curse the Snow Queen used."

"That curse-the curse of Shattered Sight-brings out the worst in people-the things they keep buried and they hide from themselves . . .and it not only does that, but those feelings, once brought out, can be difficult to put back to sleep once they've been revealed. And it's not that the curse MAKES people feel hatred or contempt or whatever when there was none-those feelings exist in a person from before, they're just denied and buried. So the curse just-pulls the dark side out into the open and lets it run free. And once that happens . . .well . . .it's not so easy to cage the darkness and pretend you've never felt that way."

"But it didn't affect you."

"I know that Belle believes I "allowed" the Snow Queen to cast the curse, but the truth was I could do nothing to stop her. She knew the spell, knew how to cast it with her dark mirror, and had begun the initial casting long before, back when we were still cursed, she simply hadn't activated it all the way yet. It was already set in motion. Even if I broke her mirror-that wouldn't have stopped it. Plus, my dark magic was not the kind of thing that could counter her curse. All I could do was protect Belle by having her fall asleep. I wasn't affected because the curse she cast had nothing on the one I already bore."

"I wasn't either but Archie was."

"And what did it bring out in you, Hopper? An urge to punch someone?"

"I got in a terrible argument with Geppetto and...lost my temper but no, I didn't hurt him."

"Well, that just proves you're better than most of the idiots in that town."

"But he was right to be angry after what I did..."

"Maybe . . but you also have the right to be angry for what your parents did. And you didn't set out to hurt his parents, only your own. It wasn't your fault they pulled a fast one on you."

"After that...and everything else I'd seen, I decided I was going to leave Storybrooke for good."

"Can't say I blame you. I was going to leave also-with Belle and Henry. Once I had tried to get rid of my curse . . .and the scumbag pirate who kept trying to kill me and Belle and laughing up his sleeve at how he had everyone fooled about how good he was. Do you know that when I controlled his heart, I could feel how he felt about doing what I commanded . . .and he felt no guilt about trapping the apprentice and the fairies in the hat really, he hated it because I, the man he regarded as his inferior-made him do it."

"He's part of the reason why I told Archie I wanted to go with him," Henry said.

Archie glanced over at Robert. "Do you remember when Belle found me on Hook's ship."

"Yes, why?"

"I want you to know I never meant to tell that pirate about her but after he did this..." He lifted up his shirt to show a long scar across his abdomen. "I...I was terrified."

"He . . .cut you?" Robert demanded angrily. "Damn that bastard! I should have beat his head in when I had the chance! It's what he deserved, never mind that Belle thought I should be the better man and let him be."

"So you see Rumple, I know the signs of PTSD well...because I've experienced them myself. I cannot be anywhere near that man without being horrified."

"I don't blame you. And they all think he's "changed," Rumple sneered. "Ha! He changed his way of doing things to impress Emma, but he didn't change where it counts."

"He didn't even apologize for it!" Henry growled.

"Hook, apologize? That would mean he has to be sorry for what he did. And that has never happened yet."

"I wasn't expecting him to, Henry," Archie said. "My only consolation is that I've gotten you away from his influence."

"I still cannot believe your other grandparents would allow someone like that to date their daughter, much less spend time with their grandson. After what he did to your mother and your grandmother."

"Yeah. And when I told them I was gonna leave with Archie Regina tried to hurt him but I told her if she did she was dead to me."

Robert raised an eyebrow. "They would object to Archie and not that miserable pirate? There's definitely something wrong with them . . .and good for you for standing up for yourself, lad."

"I told Emma she could do what she wanted with Hook and forget me like she did my dad."

Robert smirked. "And what did she say to that?" It would seem his grandson had inherited the Gold smart mouth as well as the temper.

"They begged me to stay but I wasn't going to Grandpa. Not when they're all acting like that. And even Belle tried to talk me into staying but I didn't want to hear anything from her...not when she was even willing to be friends with a guy who tried to kill her."

His grandfather paled slightly. "She's friends with that . . .piece of trash? After what he did to her . . .and to me?"

"So it would seem," Archie mumbled.

"In God's name-WHY?"

The two of them looked at each other shrugged. "I guess they think she's their hero for kicking you out of town," Henry spoke up.

Gold didn't answer, looking away, his jaw clenched. It was no secret what the others thought about him-they only wanted him when they needed him. But Belle-he had thought she was different, that she would love him and stay when all the others had left. He should have known better that night in the shop when she returned with the dagger Regina had given HER, not him, and tried to make him promise not to kill his son's murdered and his own torturer.

"But now we're all here and we don't have to worry about them anymore."

"True," he nodded.

"Though I am now Henry's legal guardian Rumple he wants to spend more time with you and I was hoping you knew of a way we could work out a custody agreement between us."

"I do. There's a few things we could try. One is similar to the way it would be handled between divorced or separated spouses. He lives with you most of the week and then comes to stay with me on weekends. Or we can do things together, all of us."

"I can stay here on the weekends but I want us all to do things together too," Henry said.

"We can do that," Gold agreed. "If that suits you, Archie?"

"That's fine with me. I...uhhhh...have plans on Saturday..."

Henry laughed. "Jeanna asked him to dinner as her fee for finding you."

"Then you'd better honor that agreement," Gold said, his eyes twinkling. "Henry, how would you like to go to a museum?"

"That's great."

"I haven't been out on a date in a while Rumple and as I'm sure you can tell Jeanna is a bit...odd."

"In what way?"

"Headstrong, stubborn..."

"Sounds like you have your work cut out for you."

Henry was still laughing. "She thinks you're like Michael Corleone, Grandpa."

Robert chuckled. "I suppose I can see why. I was rather . . .angry when she came barging into my office."

"Who's Kat?" Henry inquired. "Jeanna said she looked like she wanted to beat her up."

"She's my secretary. She's a little . . .overprotective of me."

They eyed him quizzically.

"I know...the five of us can do something sometime," Henry suggested with a smirk.

"She doesn't know the full story about my life . . .but she does know that Belle kicked me out and that Bae . . .is gone. And that was enough for her to declare herself my defender."

Archie nodded. "Well...ummm...if something does happen between Jeanna and me...I'm going to have to tell her."

"Yes, I imagine so."

Henry picked up the photograph of his father again. "I wish Dad could see us now."

Robert smiled wistfully. "Me too."

Henry looked up at his grandfather. "Are you gonna divorce Belle now?"

"After what you've said about who she's keeping company with-I'd better. And due to the agreement we had before we got married, since she broke her word to stay with me forever, she doesn't get one red cent of my money."

"Rumple, are you even married legally?" Archie inquired.

"Not . . .really. We were going to get a license but . . .it sort of got left by the wayside after everything that happened."

"What about common law marriage?' Henry asked.

"We weren't sharing a residence long enough, dearie. Barely two months.

"Yeah but she's living in your house and working in your shop..."

Robert's mouth tightened. "I guess she thinks that she's entitled to my property, but the deal I made with her was made long before she married me, and it still stands. Besides, without a license, I doubt the state of Maine regards us legally married."

"No, it wouldn't and I would have to state under oath I didn't have the authority to marry you," Archie sighed. "I still wish I'd said something."

Robert spread his hands. "I doubt I would have taken your advice. I was desperate to make sure she stayed with me. I felt . . .she was all I had after . . .I lost Bae."

"Well she's not," Henry said firmly. "You have us now."

Robert smiled. "You have no idea what that means to me." He blinked back tears. "Sometimes, you remind me a lot of your papa."

Henry hugged him again. "You and me together...I think that's what he really wanted because he didn't get the chance to have the fresh start you wanted..."

"I would hope so . . .if only there had been time . . .but time was never my friend."

He had either had too much of it or too little.

"Now it can be." If there was one gift Henry was glad he'd inherited from the Charmings it was their optimism. When his grandfather had his doubts, Henry would be the one to have enough faith for both of them.

"This time, yes," his grandfather agreed.

The teenager's stomach growled loudly.

"Talk about poor timing," he chuckled.

Archie scowled at his adopted son. "Did you skip lunch again?"

"I think I can fix that," Rumple smirked. "How about we all go out for pizza?" He suggested it because it reminded him of Bae and also because he knew it had been Henry's favorite food when he had been here last time.

"Can we go to that place Dad took me the first time I was here?"

"We certainly can."

 _I'm going to do right by him, Bae. And I'm never going to leave him._


	3. Curiosity and Kat

**~ Curiosity and Kat ~**

Bae was on all their minds at the restaurant and though Henry wished his father was there with them, having his grandfather there was all he needed at the moment.

The server had just brought their pizza to the table, when a brown-haired woman with glasses in her early forties walked into the restaurant. Astonishment colored her features when she caught sight of Robert and Henry. "Mr. Gold! Fancy meeting you here!"

Henry smirked at his grandfather, suspecting this was the 'Kat' he talked about.

She walked over to them, slightly shy. "Hello. I'm Kat, Rob-err Mr. Gold's secretary. And you must be his grandson he's told me so much about. Pleased to meet you." She held out her hand to Henry.

He shook it eagerly. "He's told us so much about you too," he greeted with a grin. "This is Archie...my ummm...adopted dad."

"A pleasure, Archie," she shook his hand with a bright unpretentious smile. "Is this your first time here in New York?"

"Mine, yes but Henry's been here before...with his father."

She slid her eyes to Mr. Gold. "You never mentioned that."

"It was before...he was...he passed away."

Her face immediately grew sympathetic. "Did he live here? I'm sorry, I'm being nosy."

"Most of his adult life...we'd had a falling out and...had only recently started making amends when..."

She went and squeezed his hand unconsciously.

Henry elbowed Archie in the ribs under the table. He barely knew his grandfather's secretary but he sensed she was the complete opposite of Belle, a woman willing to accept everything his grandfather was and could be.

For a moment Robert found himself thinking about the woman he'd placed so many of his hopes in back in Storybrooke and how she'd taken them and shattered them like that mirror that brought out the worst in everyone in that town. He knew he should be wary of Kat since she was a stranger to him but she had demonstrated several times in the course of their professional relationship that she could be trusted.

"Hey Kat, you want to join us for pizza? We have plenty," Henry invited.

"I . . . well, if you don't mind? I wouldn't want to intrude upon your time with your family, Mr. Gold," she said, knowing how rare it was for him to even have family to spend time with.

"My grandson has no objections," Robert chuckled and pulled out the empty chair beside him and he secretly hoped Kat would stay. Her presence was comforting to him.

"Now all we need is Jeanna here," Henry teased.

"Thank you," murmured Kat and sat down.

"You'll be pleased to know, Kat, we've discussed custody and Archie and I are going to share custody of Henry. I'll have him on the weekends and he will stay with Archie during the week. We'll need to draw up the papers and sign them in the morning."

"I'll have them ready, Mr. Gold." She assured him. "I'm glad to hear that. You need family, everyone does. Whether it's blood or not."

"And he's going to have sessions with me over...what happened," Archie added.

She looked relieved. "Good. You can help him better than I can, since I'm not trained in that type of thing, and maybe then he can get some peace and happiness in his life. He deserves that too."

"You've helped him some since he's been here," Henry pointed out.

"Only a little. But then, my mom always said a little kindness helps a lot."

"Do you believe in magic?"

His grandfather and adopted father nearly choked on their pizzas.

But Kat didn't bat an eye. "If you promise not to have me taken away by the men in the white coats I'll give you a straight answer."

"Go for it."

"Henry, what are you doing?" Archie whispered frantically.

"Then my answer is yes. I think that magic does exist or has existed her for longer than any of us remember. Many of the native peoples-the Indians, the Africans, used it. And still do. But then people began to fear it and people destroy what they fear and can't understand. And magic is somewhat like faith, if you can't wield it, you can't see it, except for the results of it. Jesus performed miracles in the Bible, so did many of his prophets. What's that if not a form of magic-divine magic? And yes, I'd probably be kicked out of the Catholic Church for daring to say such a thing, but . . . magic is all around us. You simply need to be able to sense it . . .and for a few lucky people, to use it."

"If you met someone magical...what would you do?"

"Henry, lad..." Robert began nervously. "This isn't the place for this..."

"I would probably talk their ear off," she replied. "I mean, wouldn't you?"

"If one was cursed...would you ignore them or try to help them?"

"Henry, enough..."

"Grandpa, I think she might be able to help you..."

"It would depend on why they had been cursed. If it were to teach them a lesson . . .I would have to make sure they'd learned it before I would help, but if they had been cursed for another reason, then yes, I would try to help." Then she stared at the two Gold men. "Wait . . .are you saying . . .?"

"Nothing!" Robert said quickly.

"My grandpa is a sorcerer under a curse!" Henry whispered.

Archie dropped the pizza he was holding. Robert nearly spilled his soda.

Kat gaped at him. She looked from one to the other, noting that the others' reactions were too spontaneous to be faked. Then she looked at Mr. Gold. "You . . .are?"

The teenager wasn't in the least bit frightened. His instincts were telling him that this woman was one that could be trusted with their secret.

Robert sighed deeply. "In our world I am known as the Dark One, the most powerful sorcerer in all the realms but my magic came at a price...I lost my boy..."

"And who cursed you? This bitch of a wife of yours?"

"No. Perhaps we should take this discussion back to my apartment."

"Yes . . .before someone calls the cops," she joked. "Crazies eating the pepperoni pie over there are talking about becoming Jedi and using the Force."

"Good idea," Archie mumbled and asked the server to bring them boxes for their pizza and appetizers.

Kat accompanied them out of the pizza parlor, after trying to pay for some of the pizza. But her boss refused to take a dime from her.

Once they were back at his apartment and sitting around the kitchen table, Robert began his story. "I was once a spinner and weaver. My true name is Rumplestiltskin. I'm sure the name is familiar to you, Kat."

"Like the imp of the fairytales," she said. "But . . .you're human."

"In this world yes, but in ours I look...different because of my curse. My skin is greyish green with scales, my eyes are amber."

"And are you tiny, like the stories say?"

"No. I am this height, could spin straw into gold and made deals with desperate souls."

"It wasn't always your fault if they went bad," Henry argued.

"My situation being the perfect example," Archie added.

"How were you cursed?" she asked fascinated.

"I took this burden because at one time I was one of those desperate souls. I was raising my son alone after my wife deserted us for a bloody pirate and our land was being invaded by the ogres. Many were dying. I myself served in the first Ogre War but I was told by a Seer that my wife was having our child...and I didn't want my son growing up without a father as I did." He gestured to his ankle. "I injured myself and branded myself a coward forever...for my boy. . ."

Anyone else would have thought they were certifiably nuts to be talking like this, and she was just as bad because she believed their lies. But she had known liars and she could tell they were not lying . . or delusional.

"Then the wars came again. Men were still dying and the duke of our lands started drafting children into the wars when they turned fourteen. Children! My Baelfire...he was approaching the age to be drafted and I didn't want that to happen so we ran...and encountered a man on the road named Zoso. He spoke of how the duke controlled the Dark One with a magical Kris dagger. He suggested I take the dagger, control the Dark One, and my Bae would never have to fight."

His eyes filled with tears as he remembered those early days. "I went to the duke's castle and set it afire so that I could take the dagger but when I summoned the Dark One I discovered Zoso was the Dark One...and he only wanted one thing...for someone else to take his burden from him."

He could see that terrible night again his mind, plunging the dagger into the other man's heart, Zoso's cruel taunts that he'd made a deal he didn't understand. "He tricked me...claimed Bae wasn't mine and I killed him...thus taking the curse myself."

"He passed the curse to you?" Kat guessed, her heart aching for the man he had been, the man that she sensed he still was.

"It burrowed itself into my soul like a parasite, feeding on my insecurities, draining me of my humanity but I did honor my promise to my boy that I would end the wars and send the children home."

"So this curse is like-possession by a demon or an evil spirit?"

"Yes. It changed me...so much that my own son feared me. He wanted us to go somewhere I could be free of my curse...here. But when the portal opened...it took control of me, made me let go of my son's hand and he fell into this world alone. My one fatal mistake...the one I spent most of my life trying to fix."

"But . . .you found him again, didn't you?"

"He had to create a curse that took everyone from their world out of it to here but he couldn't cast it. My mom did."

"Why? Why couldn't you use a portal and just come here?"

"Everything that could make a portal was hidden from me."

"I see. And who was your mother?" she asked Henry.

"The Evil Queen from Snow White...she's my adopted mother. My birth mother is Snow White's daughter Emma and Bae is my dad but he was called Neal here."

"The Evil Queen . . .are you telling me this is like-a parallel universe where all the characters from books are alive?" she said.

"Yes. That's what we're saying. Some are still in our old world, the others in a town called Storybrooke but Grandpa and Archie are the only ones here in New York."

"And we're not all like what you've seen and read about as is this case with me," Robert said.

"You're a fairy tale character too? Which one?" she asked Archie.

"Jiminy Cricket," he answered.

As she took in all that they were saying to her, she had a sudden realization about just who Robert's 'bitch wife' was. "It seems that Belle is not the way the movies depict her if she knows of your curse and has done nothing to break it," she said bitterly.

"She tried once with true love's kiss...but it didn't work..." Robert began.

"A kiss can't break a soul possession, Robert, as I'm sure you know."

"We need to find out what can," Henry insisted.

"This curse that brought you all here...Robert, did you find your son with it?"

"Not until Henry's mother broke it. We came here and found him but he was still angry with me for abandoning him. It wasn't until we went to Neverland to rescue Henry that he forgave me."

"Neverland? It's real too?"

"Yeah but it's not the happy place you know, Kat, and Peter Pan was evil..." Henry cringed. "He wanted to take my heart and use it to make himself immortal."

"Just like he abandoned his son to remain young forever," Robert sneered.

"Who was...his son...oh God...Robert...was it you?!"

He nodded.

"He took control of Henry's body and crossed over to this world with us. He planned to cast the curse that would freeze time and make everyone forget who they were all over again. Stopping him required a price...and this price was my life...and his."

Kat gasped. "You...died?! But you're alive now...how?"

"My son...was tricked into trading his life for mine by the Wicked Witch of the West...the Evil Queen's sister Zelena...a former pupil of mine who was obsessed with me."

"She held you captive..." Kat reached across the table and took his hands in hers. "Why did she do it?"

"She needed my mind...Snow White's baby, Regina's heart, and Prince Charming's courage to cast a time travel spell. She was going to change all of our fates to create her own happy ending."

"But time travel...only happens in movies and when it does, something is always screwed up! That's why it shouldn't be done!"

"Oh I agree, dearie, and I tried to prevent that. I killed her when the others would have allowed her to live."

"She killed your son! She imprisoned and tortured you! She was too dangerous to be kept alive!"

"Heroes don't kill was their argument," Robert said.

Kat scoffed. "They do when the safety of others is at risk. If our troops honored such a messed up moral code we'd be the mercy of every terrorist group in the world...or be under the control of the Nazis."

Then he and Archie talked about the wedding but when they repeated the vows Belle had spoken Kat wished she had the so called Beauty in the room with her so that she could chip her into a million pieces like that cup.

"Who the hell had the bright idea that telling a man what she doesn't like about him is a proper wedding vow? As if she hasn't done anything wrong? I would have told her off then and there...but I can understand why you didn't. You loved her and you believed in her far more than she believed in you. And she was crazy enough to carry the dagger around in her PURSE? Why not put up a large sign saying: Get Your Dark One Dagger here!"

 _Her name should be Dumbbelle_ , Kat thought angrily.

"When Mom and Hook went through time and came back everything started getting worse because they brought back Robin Hood's wife and Elsa from Frozen," Henry said. "The Snow Queen was already here and she was the one who cast the curse that brought out everyone's dark sides. When Belle found out Grandpa switched the daggers and was trying to free himself from his curse the only way he believed he could, she used it to order him to leave Storybrooke."

"She actually used the dagger to control you?"

Robert nodded sadly. "That wasn't the first time she tried."

"More than once?"

"Yes. So that she could 'help' the heroes."

"Help them do what?"

"Stop me...they thought I was in league with the Snow Queen but Ingrid had her own agenda. She always did. All I wanted was to leave and escape both her curse and my own but I was sent over the town line alone—without a coat, or my cane, or any money in the dead of a winter's night . . . she didn't care if it led to my death...but I had prepared for it."

"She didn't talk to you, try and find out what was going on? That's crazy! If you love someone, you talk to them."

"She knew I was cursed and I wasn't comfortable talking about what Zelena had done nor did she ask. I endured my pain in silence."

Kat shook her head. "Name of God! If I had my husband harmed the way you were . . I would have needed to be restrained from strangling the bitch and I'd be right in therapy with you, so I could understand what had gone on and be there for you. Because that's what a good wife does, supports her husband through times of trouble. What was she doing while you were going through this? Filing her damned nails? Reading?"

"She did read quite a bit. The rest of the time she was trying to find Elsa's sister because she believed the girl's disappearance was her fault."

"Why was that more important than helping her husband? Was this sister a good friend of hers?"

"No. She didn't know her. But her theory was that a hero helped strangers if I remember correctly."

Kat rolled her eyes. "Who died and made her Wonder Woman? So she was more concerned over this stranger than the husband who had been missing for over a year, presumed dead, and yet when she finally gets you back, she doesn't even spend time with you? Retarded! I mean, it wasn't like you didn't have other people looking for this sister, right?"

"Oh yes the rest of the town was."

"Then she should have let them look and her concern should have been you. Considering what had happened to you! Your son murdered, you hurt and tortured and having PTSD . . .what in HELL, Robert?"

"Now I've been told she's seeing someone else...a married man in fact and is now friends with the pirate that ran off with my first wife and tried to kill Belle many times."

"And tortured me," Archie said angrily.

Kat gaped at him. "You're kidding me? She's cheating on you with some scumbag and is friends with some attempted murderer."

"Yes," they all answered.

"Oh my God! This Belle sounds like a total idiot! Why would she ever want another man when she had someone like you? I-I mean . . ." Kat trailed off, blushing.

"I'm a difficult man to love..."

Henry smiled at her. "So you don't think my grandpa is evil?"

"No . . .that's like saying someone possessed by a demon is evil. From what I can tell, you sacrificed your soul for your son and your life for everyone, including your worthless beauty of a wife, and no one appreciated it. Now what's bad about that? Hmm? Nothing! They all seem like ungrateful bastards to me. Did anyone ever offer you condolences on your son's loss?"

"The Charmings named their son Neal in my son's honor so they said but his name was BAE!"

"They sound like as big twits as your wife if they can't even get your son's name right," she snorted. "And what kind of rude ignorant people don't offer a man condolences on his loss?"

"They only gave me a thought when they needed something."

"Sounds like typical selfish idiots. There's a lot of them in the world, and it looks like the so-called heroes weren't heroes but normal everyday idiots who had a perfectionist complex. Ugh! I hate those kind of people!"

"It's funny...I used to be an adviser to Snow White but no one seemed to need a conscience anymore." Archie frowned.

"Sounds like all they needed was their egos stroked and to be told they were the best thing since sliced bread! Ha! I'd have given them a good kick in the pants."

"You sound like Jeanna," Henry laughed.

"Well, I would have," Kat asserted. "Sanctimonious twits have always made me want to take a bat and beat them till they learn sense."

"Then you would have a long and hard task ahead of you, dearie."

"Well, if you want something done right . . ." she chuckled wickedly.

"Grandpa's curse is inactive here but we still need to break it."

"And how do we do that? If it's a curse of possession-do we need to do something like an exorcism? Banish it to hell or something?"

"That's what I am trying to figure out. Every method I have used has failed."

"Is there some . . . legend we can take a look at? Maybe someone has gone through something like this here? Or is there a book you can look at in your shop?"

"I can't get into my shop...I can't return to the town because of another curse...only Henry can."

"Oh. But could . . someone else get in? Like someone who wasn't cursed?"

"Someone like you or Jeanna could," Henry spoke up.

"The people in Storybrooke aren't very trusting of outsiders so you would have to sneak in." Archie added.

"I would go but . . .I have depositions and things to get ready for cases for Mr. Gold," Kat said regretfully. "Besides, I think your private eye is better at the cloak and dagger stuff . . .umm . . ."

"And we have to get the dagger, Grandpa."

"Shouldn't be too hard if she still carries it in her purse?"

"I doubt she does now. They probably buried it. That's what I did with it during the first curse."

"Any idea where she'd put it?"

"Out in the woods. Probably in one of the same spots I buried it. You would probably need a metal detector to find it."

"Now that's something I wouldn't have access to."

"In the meantime my 'wife' is going to find out that she will no longer be enjoying the fruits of my labors."

Robert grabbed his briefcase off his desk and opened it, taking out a notepad with some lists on it. "Kat, along with the custody papers I would like you to have an eviction notice served on Belle giving her thirty days to vacate all of my properties."

"With pleasure, Mr. Gold!"

"These properties are my house, my shop, and the library building."

He handed her a piece of paper with three addresses on it.

She took it. "This is one eviction notice I'll be glad to get ready for you. If she's gonna throw you out, then she ought to be big enough to stand on her own two feet and not mooch off your stuff like a leech."

"I will also need the contract Belle signed. It's in my safe and can only be opened by a drop of my blood. Once I tear up that contract...regardless of whether I have magic or not...all of the buildings will vanish and their contents will return to me."

"Then I suppose we should call Jeanna although I don't think she'll be as willing to believe us as Kat is, Rumple," Archie sighed.

"She may surprise us, Archie." Henry said.

"I know this is a lot of work I'm putting on you, dearie, but once it's done, I owe you a vacation."

"I don't think I would know what to do with myself," she laughed. "Except veg out in front of the TV and watch reruns of Hamish MacBeth and The Full Monty."

"Oh come now! Surely there is somewhere you want to go!"

"Umm . . . I always did want to go to Europe . . .and see Italy and Scotland and that kind of thing. But . . ." she shrugged. "I could never afford it. And I'm afraid of traveling alone."

"Well, you will be able to afford it now...do you have family that could travel with you?"

She shook her head. "Not anymore. My parents passed away years ago and my sister is too busy working."

"We could take you!" Henry offered.

"Henry, will you stop..." Archie groaned.

But Henry was bound and determined that his grandfather would get his own happy ending, even if it had to be without Belle.

"You're sweet," Kat smiled. "But we can plan that later . . .right now we need to help your grandpa free himself from his curse and his do-gooder holier-than-thou wife."

Archie pulled out his cellphone. "Rumple, I hope you have deep pockets because Jeanna is going to want a raise after this..."

"Dearie, I came into this world with all the money I had from my spinning gold for centuries, so it's not an object."

"If you'll all excuse me for a few minutes..."

Archie got up and walked into the other room to make his phone call.

Meanwhile Kat began to eat some of the food they'd brought home.

"Kat, you're not married, are you? Seeing anybody?" Henry quizzed.

"No. I never found anyone I loved enough to marry and I'm not seeing anyone."

"Good." He leaned forward. "You like my grandpa...don't you?" he whispered.

"I . . .I . . .do . . ." she admitted blushing. "But . . .I'm nobody special. Just a secretary and a paralegal. Not some woman out of a tale."

"So what? He needs someone who can like him for who he is, not who she wants him to be and I think you can be that person."

"You do? I would never hurt him . . .not ever . . .not like her, promising him forever and then running off at the first sign of trouble . . . a good woman stays and fights, she doesn't turn tail and skedaddle when the going gets rough. My mom and dad were married over fifty years and they had their share of problems in the beginning but my mom stuck it out and helped my dad with his gambling and his temper. She could have left him . . .she didn't."

"See. That's what he needs. All this time he's thought no one could love him...and every other woman who has left him...but you wouldn't...because your mother taught you how to take the good with the bad and make the best of it."

"Yes. Because a marriage is for better for worse . . .and when you really truly love someone, you love them as they are, warts and all."

Secretly Henry was hoping his grandfather overheard this conversation and realized the same thing: Kat was the woman he'd been looking for.

She smiled sadly. "My mom used to say, "No one can change you, but you . . .and if you love someone you help them through the rough times because when you do, what waits on the other side is ten times the sweeter for enduring all the trouble beforehand. And you help someone best not by telling them what they should do, but by being patient and understanding and being there. Rome wasn't built in a day and neither are people's problems."

She smiled reminiscently. "My dad always said: ye who are without sin, cast the first stone. Because no one is so you shouldn't sit in judgment upon people, because you haven't lived their life."

"My mom Regina...I thought she was trying to be better but she wants the easy path to her happy ending."

Kat smiled sadly. "I know a lot of people like that. They think that if they need to work it's not worth it. Or that it's easier to blame other people for screwing yourself over and not take responsibility for your own actions. People love to say so-and-so made me do it. When the truth is only you can make yourself do something, unless you're being held hostage with a gun to your head."

"They think there's an author who is writing their stories but they're writing them themselves."

"Like everyone else."

"Yeah. Grandpa died a real hero but everyone forgot that...and my dad."

"How sad. That these people are so hypocritical."

"It's gotten worse since they came back here the second time. I don't know if that has to do with the fact that my other grandfather had to give up his heart to have it done or not."

Henry still couldn't believe Snow White had been able to cast the second curse that returned them all to Maine. He assumed only another magician could cast it.

Archie returned to the room. "Better brace yourselves. The Texas Tornado is on her way over."

 **A/N: Again, a huge thank you to everyone who has been reading and supporting this story! We hope you'll enjoy what happens next. How do you think Jeanna will react to the news? What did you think of a woman who finds out that Rumple has magic fascinating and awesome instead of being terrified of him?**


	4. Unlikely Allies

**~ Unlikely Allies ~**

Jeanna had been concerned for Doctor Hopper and his grandson from the moment she left his office that afternoon. She'd spent most of that time running a background check on Robert Gold and the results she'd gotten back did little to ease her mind. The man seemed to have appeared out of nowhere six months earlier though he had quite an impressive record as a corporate attorney and was highly paranoid that someone from his past was trying to reach out to him. He kept assuring her that everything would be fine and she'd still had her doubts which was why she'd broken into Gold's apartment before he returned home from work and planted a recording device in the living room.

Her mother always told her that curiosity killed the cat and from the moment the three of them started talking in Gold's living room, she was starting to wonder just what the hell she'd gotten herself into.

Curses? Daggers, Soul Possessions? Abductions? The Knave of Hearts?! Rumplestiltskin?!

 _What in the HELL?! They're talking like this...like THEY are from some creepy fairy tale or one screwed up fantasy novel. And they want to bring ME into their craziness?_

Even more horrifying she learned that her client had also been tortured...by a pirate!

Then she heard something that stunned her even more.

"Well...ummm...if something does happen between Jeanna and me...I'm going to have to tell her."

Did he want something to happen between them as much as she did...before all this?

 _Who are you, Archibald Hopper?_ she thought. _Do I even want something to happen between us now?_

She was shaking when she walked back to her truck to follow them to the restaurant. The greeter knew who she was immediately even through the disguise she was wearing since the parlor was one of her favorite haunts and sometimes one of her targets ate there.

"Where you want me to sit ya, O'Malley?" he whispered.

"Right behind the two men and the teenage kid," she mumbled and slid into her seat, ordering a beer and a dozen hot wings, her comfort food. As stressed out as she was, she felt like she could eat six dozen and drink a truck of Budweiser while she was at it.

She wasn't surprised when Gold's secretary joined them, already having an idea the woman had designs on her boss during their brief confrontation in Gold's office but she was surprised that Kat was taking all this madness a little too well. Jeanna didn't believe in magic, not anymore. It hadn't gotten her out of that trailer park in El Paso where her father spent most of his time on the couch eating them out of house and home, watching football, spending all their money on booze and using his wife for his punching bag when he lost one job after another because he couldn't stay sober long enough. She'd gotten herself out of that hole by working her way through high school and college while still earning a 4.0 GPA. Her first career choice was to be an interior designer but once she got a job working as a receptionist for a private investigator in New York, she changed her mind. Jimmy often talked with her about the cases he was working on and many times she helped him solve the case without actually working on it herself. When Jimmy's health started to fail him, he asked her if she would consider becoming an investigator herself and paid for her to take the exam.

 _Jimmy_ , _this is one of those times when I could use your advice for a change,_ she thought as she took a long swig of her beer. _You always told me: don't get personally involved because it's gonna bite ya in the ass sooner or later and boy has it!_

"...Perhaps we should take this discussion back to my apartment." she heard Gold say.

"Yes . . .before someone calls the cops," Kat joked. "Crazies eating the pepperoni pie over there are talking about becoming Jedi and using the Force."

"You ain't just whistlin Dixie, honey," Jeanna muttered.

She barely remembered walking out of the parlor, getting into her truck and driving back to the apartment. It was even a miracle that she managed to get back up onto the fire escape without becoming a chalk line on the pavement. She turned on the receiver and continued to listen to the rest of their conversation and it did little to make her think she wasn't losing her mind.

 _Oh God_... _I'm in love with Jiminy Cricket...oh yeah...call the men in the white coats! I am done with this...I am done..._

Seconds later she could hear the ringtone she'd assigned to Archie going off on her phone. Unfortunately; it was set to Garth Brooks singing To Make You Feel My Love, a song she always listened to when she thought about him...and she'd thought about him a lot in the last six months, even deliberately dragging out the investigation as long as she could so that she could see and talk to him.

"What do you want?" she moaned.

"Jeanna, are you...drunk?"

"Not drunk, just INSANE. What the hell have you gotten me into Doc? Who the hell are you?!"

"Jeanna, where are you? Are you all right?"

"I'm outside the window hearing every goddam thing you're saying and wondering whether I should check myself into Belleview or you should because you think you're some kinda fairy tale creatures come to life!"

"Jeanna, I know it sounds crazy..."

"YOU KNOW IT SOUNDS CRAZY?! IT IS CRAZY! And you're a SHRINK for God's sake."

"Stay there! I'm coming out to get you."

"Well isn't this a twist on the ole fairy tale. The damsel in distress gettin rescued by Jiminy Cricket. You gonna sing and dance for me afterwards?"

Archie groaned. "Just stay there!" He hung up the phone and returned to the others. "Better brace yourselves. The Texas Tornado is on her way over."

And that was a major understatement.

"What did you tell her?" Robert quizzed.

"I didn't tell her anything! She heard it all! She's been out on the fire escape the whole time listening!"

"Oh my God!" Kat gasped. "She's probably shocked."

"Shocked doesn't even begin to describe it! I'd better go get her before she has an accident!"

They hurried into the living room. Robert raised the blinds and sure enough Jeanna O'Malley was curled up in the fetal position on the fire escape, a recording device in one hand, a six pack of Budweiser and half eaten chicken wings a few inches away from her. She was sobbing hysterically.

"Archie, be careful," Robert advised while he opened the window.

"I'll be all right but she isn't." He crawled out the window onto the metal structure and kneeled beside the stricken private investigator. "Jeanna? It's Doctor Hopper..."

"I know that dammit!" she sobbed. "Don't talk to me like I'm some crazy out on a ledge. M'not gonna jump off though I really wanna take my dad's route and drink maself into 'blivion right now!"

He draped her arm over his shoulders and picked her up in his arms. "You're in shock...I knew you would be...and I never wanted you to find out like this..."

"Ya...ya'll really think you're fairy tale characters?"

"We'll talk about it inside."

While Archie carried Jeanna over to the sofa, Henry grabbed the six pack and half eaten container of wings off the fire escape. Robert covered her with a blanket he'd had Kat fetch from the hall closet, one he'd woven in the little spare time he afforded himself. There was also a replica of Bae's old shawl. The original was locked in his safe back in Storybrooke and come hell or high water, he was going to find some way to get it back.

"Be straight with me...you don't really believe you're a gold spinning imp and he's Jiminy Cricket...do you?" she asked Robert.

"We're speaking the truth, Jeanna, though I do wish you hadn't found out this way. Kat, would you please come to the kitchen with me? I'm going to make you something to prevent the nasty little hangover you'd have in the morning...and put out that fire in your stomach from those wings."

A curious Kat followed him into the kitchen, eager to watch him work. Though his magic was inactive, she was certain he was still a skilled alchemist. He opened the cupboard where he stored the herbs he'd purchased though they were not as easy to come by as they had been in the Enchanted Forest. Back there he could simply summon them to him.

"What do you want me to do?" she asked softly.

"Just pour these into the pot in the orders and amounts I tell you to, dearie."

Robert was afraid to admit it to himself but he enjoyed having someone there watching him practice his skills without fear of being chided or accused of doing something evil. What Belle failed to understand was that not all of the magic he performed was evil and there were times when he became frustrated when he had to justify his actions to her and it brought a smile to his lips when his secretary asked him to explain what each ingredient was and why he was adding it to his concoction.

"Are ye sure you don't have just a wee bit of fae in you?" he inquired.

"Me? No...I'm just a New York gal," she giggled, finding it difficult to keep her composure when he switched to a slightly Scottish accent. For a moment she thought she was standing in a room with Robert Carlyle, one of her favorite actors. There were even a few resemblances in his facial features and their accents were similar. "But this...and I know I would get thrown out of the Catholic Church for saying this...is fascinating."

He handed her a wooden cooking spoon. "Would you stir this a few times for me, please? There are some other items I will need for the second potion she will need to take for her stomach. This one will just help clear her head after having all that rotgut in it and she needs to be clear headed while we have our chat."

"You want to send her into Storybrooke, don't you? To get the dagger?"

He nodded. "She has the experience needed, yes though only if she agrees to it. She won't be facing jealous spouses in that town. That's enough stirring, dearie." He removed the pan from the heat and dumped several ice cubes into it before pouring it into a coffee mug. He set it on a tray, rinsed out the pan in the sink and started putting the ingredients in for the second potion. "Would you take this in to her while I start the second potion?"

"Sure."

Things were not going so well in the living room. Jeanna was sitting up on the couch cradling her head in her hands while Archie sat beside her. He'd been trying to speak to her with little success.

"I don't believe in this crap and you all think it's REAL? What loony boat do you think I got off of? What one did you get off of?"

"Jeanna, if we could prove it to you, we would!" Henry cried. She looked up at him through bloodshot eyes. "But none of us have magic here. We..."

Suddenly the photograph of him and his father slid off the table and onto the floor. The three of them glanced down at it, their mouths agape. Then Archie's eyes met those of his adopted son. Henry's eyes widened with fear and seconds later the photograph was back in its place on the coffee table.

"That...that picture...it moved...by itself!" Jeanna exclaimed. "Doc, tell me you saw that!" she pleaded.

"Henry, did you do that?" Archie asked gently.

"I...I don't know...I was standing here thinking about how we could prove to Jeanna we're not crazy...then that happened...and I got scared..."

The teenager stood there trembling. Suddenly the empty Budweiser bottles on the coffee table started clinking together and the box of chicken wings slid off the table and onto the floor, the sauce staining the plush white carpet.

"He...he's like that girl in Carrie..." Jeanna gasped.

Archie jumped off the sofa and hugged his adopted son. "Henry, Henry! It's all right. Rumple, can you come in here for a second, please!" he called out.

Robert limped into the living room. "What happened? What's wrong with Henry?" he inquired worriedly when he saw the terrified expression on his grandson's face.

"I don't know...he was upset...and..."

"He made that stuff fly off the table!" Jeanna cried.

"Rumple, does this mean he has...?"

The former sorcerer smiled. "Indeed it does, Archie, though I don't know why it has taken this long for his powers to manifest themselves. Take a deep breath, lad, and count to ten. Your powers are reacting to your emotions and we need to get those under control."

"You mean...I'm doing all this?"

Robert nodded. He led his grandson over to the recliner, talking him through the relaxation techniques he often used to calm himself down when he was angry or upset. After several minutes Henry seemed much more relaxed but still confused.

"Why do I have magic, Grandpa? Is it because of you...or Mom?"

"Both, Henry. I wasn't born a magician but I was one when you were born. Also you were the product of true love, just as your mother was. Many true love children are born with magic but aren't always aware of it. Now that we know you are, you will need to learn how to use it, more importantly how to control it." He handed the warm coffee mug to Jeanna. "And you'll need to drink this down, dearie, to clear your head a bit."

"Oh, I think my head's clear now," she groaned and took a sip, expecting the remedy to taste awful as most of her common hangover cures did but to her surprise it had a bit of mint flavor to it and the drums stopped pounding in her head just before she finished drinking all of it. She carefully set the mug down on the coffee table. "But I'm just...trying to wrap my head around the fact that something I stopped believing in years ago is possible."

"I take it you had an unfortunate upbringing," Rumple said gently.

"Oh yeah. I'm the poster child for trailer park trash...that's what they called me in El Paso anyway. Wife beating alcoholic father and a mom who worked herself to the bone to try to make do with the little money he didn't spend on the booze and the only way I had anything decent was through the five finger discount or a smash and grab once in a while...but that was when I was running around with the Stetsons." She scowled. "I bet you all lived in palaces, eh?"

Archie sighed. "You're talking to someone raised by con artists and was taught to pick pockets before I was ten."

"And I wasn't always wealthy either, dearie. I was a poor spinner and weaver until I took this curse so you needn't worry about any of us looking down on you. We've been there," Robert added.

Kat came into the room then carrying the second cordial. "This should help your stomach too," she said softly and handed it to the detective. "Are you all right?"

"I'm gonna be. No sense trying to chalk up seeing that stuff move to the booze because the Doc saw it and...well...I wanted proof...I got it." She started drinking the second cordial that tasted like almonds and it helped settle her upset stomach. "From what I heard...you want to break this soul curse you've got and the only way you can do that is getting back the dagger that, as Kat refers it 'that bitch wife of yours' has along with some kind of contract."

"Yes."

"And you want to send me in because you can't go back there and neither can Archie because of some other curse?"

"Yes. Jeanna, what he's asking you to do isn't going to be easy...and it's your choice whether you want to or not." Archie reminded her.

Her eyes narrowed to slits. "Oh I want to all right. I want to skin me a pirate."

"I'd love to go with you and give that Dumbbelle a piece of my mind but I think she'd be more afraid of you than me," Kat chuckled.

Henry glanced back and forth at the two women, a wide grin on his young face. For months he'd suspected Jeanna's interest in his adoptive father was more than professional even if they did seem like they were complete opposites. Now that he knew they had similar backgrounds, he felt she would make a good wife or girlfriend for Archie but he wanted to settle down. He already knew Kat would make a better wife for his grandfather than Belle did but would take it slow, not wanting to be a rebound relationship like Belle and Will Scarlet obviously were.

"Oh yeah because I'd ride into town dressed in camo ready to do some hunting...not that I do hunt, mind ya but that pirate's head would look real good mounted on my wall."

Robert giggled impishly. "Oh I would look forward to seeing that."

"Jeanna, I don't want you anywhere near that man. He's dangerous, especially if Emma is protecting him." Archie said firmly.

"And Mom will," spoke up Henry.

"So both of your moms are witches?"

"Regina is more dangerous of the two, Jeanna." Robert said. "She will kill, without hesitation, anyone she sees as a threat to her interests."

"When Henry first told her he was coming to New York with me Rumple...she took my heart and was about to crush it...until Henry stopped her."

" _You're taking my son over YOUR dead body cricket!" Regina snarled, squeezing his heart tightly. Archie sank to the floor in pain._

 _"Y...You will never change..." he gasped. "Should have...executed you...years ago!"_

 _"MOM! Let him go!"_

 _"Regina, stop!" Emma pleaded._

 _"He's not taking you away from me!"_

 _"I'm going...and if you hurt him anymore or try to stop me YOU are dead to me!" Henry snarled. "Put his heart back...NOW!"_

 _Pained, Regina kneeled down and slammed Archie's heart back into his chest. "You bastard!"_

 _"I warned you to leave me alone before Regina or you would find yourself in a custody battle but this time I will NOT side with either one of you." He glared at Emma. "Neither of you has been providing a healthy environment for him...you threatening to kill anyone who gets in your way of a happy ending," he said to Regina. "And you...consorting with the man who held me captive...who TORTURED me...and gods knows HOW many others," he tossed at Emma._

 _"He's not like that anymore...he's changed."_

 _"He's only allowing you to see what he wants you to see...just like her. You'll never be free of your darkness, Regina, not as long as you see everyone on the outside as a threat to your happy ending and Emma...sooner or later your blinders will have to come off and you'll realize Hook is and always will be a pirate!"_

 _"Henry, please..." Regina begged through her tears._

 _"I can't do it anymore Mom. I can't go on believing you're going to change because you've just proven to me that you can't. And Emma...you can go back to pretending I never existed...JUST LIKE MY DAD!"_

 _"I don't..." Emma recoiled in shock._

 _"You do. He wasn't even cold in the ground when you took up with Hook!"_

 _"Henry!" both women sobbed._

 _"Maybe someday I'll come back...but for now...I don't want to see either of you again!" He helped Archie to his feet and together the two of them walked out of the mayor's mansion...for the last time._

The mug Jeanna was holding crashed to the floor. Kat gasped in horror.

"She...literally...took your heart out!" Kat exclaimed.

Robert sighed. "A skill, unfortunately, she learned from me...and her mother. When you remove a person's heart magically, you have the ability to kill them...or control them."

Kat's face was pale. "I'm...going to be sick..."

Robert limped into the kitchen and poured the rest of the cordial into a second mug and brought it back into the living room. "Drink this down, dearie," he said gently.

The nausea began to subside. "Thank you, Robert," she murmured and set the mug down on the coffee table. "The idea that someone can literally take my heart out...is horrifying..."

"It's right out of a goddam horror movie," Jeanna growled. "Now I want to have myself a witch burning. Sorry, Henry. I know she's your mama and all but she had no right to do what she did to Archie. He was just looking after you."

"I know."

Jeanna's eyes shifted to Robert. "You didn't have much control over yourself when you went dark side, did you...because either that bitch wife of yours gave you orders, the green-skinned broom-riding whorehound did or that demon you've got in you did."

He burst into laughter. "You certainly have a way with words, dearie."

"I told you...she's a Texas Tornado." Archie chuckled.

"Oh, is that what you call me?" Jeanna turned to Archie and glowered at him, her hand on her hip.

"Well...you are a bit...feisty when you're upset..." He blushed.

"Oh wait til I get started. I can curse them out a million ways in Italian," Kat said with a grin.

"Had I access to my magic I would create a protection spell that would prevent any of us from having our hearts taken," Robert said.

"Can't I do it, Grandpa?" Henry asked. His grandfather shook his head.

"Not when you're just learning, Henry. And also you must remember that all magic extracts a price from the caster. For simple spells it is often the loss of energy temporarily but for more complex spells the price can be much higher."

"Like the Snow Queen dying when she cast the Curse of Shattered Sight and Mom giving up her father's heart for the Dark Curse?"

"Your mother sacrificed her own father to cast the curse that brought you all here?" Kat demanded of Henry.

"Yeah."

"Now I didn't like my daddy when he was drinking and beating up my mother but I couldn't bring myself to do that..." Jeanna cringed.

"Robert, I've been thinking...what if you don't need the dagger to have your magic?" Kat said.

"Dearie, I've been outside Storybrooke before and I am powerless here."

"Maybe not."

"What are you thinking, Kat?" Archie asked.

"You're cursed, yes but even though your curse is tied to dark magic, you can also perform white magic when you need to because the man you were before the curse is still there. You can heal and that's white magic. Creating and mending always is. Also, you've spent so many centuries learning it that it probably became as much a part of you as the curse is, only you've never actually thought about it."

"Grandpa! What if she's right?" Henry cried excitedly.

"I don't know..."

Kat stood up and approached him, taking his hand in hers. "Try," she said gently.

"Come on, Grandpa. You can do it. I know you can."

It was refreshing to hear someone encouraging him to use his magic, rather than ask him to deny something that had become as much a part of him as breathing and unlike the others, this group did not fear him...or at least they didn't anymore as was the case with Archie and Henry. The sorcerer closed his eyes and concentrated, deciding to try a wardrobe change as a start. He'd been able to do them with little effort back in the Enchanted Forest and Storybrooke. He believed outside the barrier that divided the worlds, magic would not be so easy to perform anymore. Belief in magic was not as strong in this world as it was in his.

Before the astonished eyes of two women, the Armani suited corporate lawyer disappeared and in his place stood the man that faced his father in Neverland wearing a black and grey suit with a dragonhide coat and boots with leather pants.

 _Be...still...my heart..._ Kat thought. She always thought Robert was handsome as the New York attorney but the sorcerer was an even more eye-catching sight in his leathers. "Is...this...how you...looked in...your world?" she murmured, unable to stop herself from staring and feeling like she was going to have to spend a longer time in confession that week for the naughty thoughts in her head.

"One of them, yes." Robert was stunned, unable to understand why he could suddenly use his magic in New York now when he hadn't before. It certainly would have come in handy when that damned pirate had given him the lethal dose of dreamshade.

"Well...that outfit's libel to stop traffic...gal traffic that is," Jeanna joked, admiring the view a bit herself.

"If you wore that down in Key West it'd stop gay traffic too," Kat laughed.

Archie was feeling a bit jealous, wondering why women never looked at him that way no matter how hard he tried not to pass himself off as that former drifter and con artist. He was about to leave the room to brood in private when Jeanna caught his arm. "Doc, I may be looking but we're still going on that date on Saturday, y'hear?"

"Okay."

"Gay traffic?" Robert's eyes widened. "Ummm...aren't I a little too old..."

"Grandpa, guys older than you are still having kids." Henry reminded him.

"And...wasn't there some movie where a bunch of older guys danced naked?" Jeanna asked Kat.

She nodded enthusiastically. "The Full Monty! I loved that movie. It was a comedy and funny as hell, about a man who would do anything to get custody of his kid-as an unemployed steel worker and he gets his friends to help him do a one night strip tease at a bar, where they bare it all."

Jeanna smirked and cast her eyes in Archie's direction. "Think you'd move pretty good on a stage, Doc."

"Oh get your mind out of the gutter!"

"Well I would never do that...I'd be laughed out of the bar," Robert muttered.

But if it had been for his Bae, he would have done it, even crawled around on that damned stage if that was what it took.

"I wouldn't be laughing," Kat muttered dreamily.

"Ummmm...okay...maybe you guys should all get a room..." Henry teased.

Kat blushed, embarrassed at having spoken that out loud, and in front of a teenager too.

"Henry Gold!" Robert and Archie exclaimed.

"Okay...Grandpa...try something else...vanish into smoke like you used to do."

"You could teleport?" Kat exclaimed. "Like Nightcrawler on the X-Men?"

"Oh certainly, dearie. Let me see." He concentrated again and vanished in a puff of magenta smoke.

"Oh! That is so cool!" the secretary sighed. "No waiting in traffic, or on the subway, or whatever."

He reappeared in the kitchen. "Yes, but I won't be doing that or I'd certainly have the men in the white coats coming to look for me," he called out.

He walked back into the living room, not needing to use his cane any longer since his limp had been cured once his magic returned to him.

"What does it feel like?" Kat asked. "Does it feel weird, like make you dizzy or nauseous or something? Or disoriented?"

"When I first started to learn how to do it I was disoriented for several minutes but now it only lasts a second or two."

She felt eaten alive with curiosity. "Do you need to visualize where you want to go first? Like in Dragonriders of Pern-the riders need to visualize where they want to go before the dragon go Between places? Can you take another person with you? How far can you teleport?"

Robert started laughing. "One question at a time dearie!" He held out his hand to her. "Think of a place you want to be...conspicuous if you please and I'll show you."

He was able to teleport from one part of their world to the other without even breaking a sweat. He doubted he would be able to do so in this one but it didn't hurt to try.

Even as curious as she was about Robert's abilities, she didn't want him to overexert himself to impress her. After all, it had probably been a long time since he was last able to use his magic.

Probably when that bitch wife of his kicked him out, she thought bitterly.

"Do you have to be careful when you do so?" she asked. "Is it dangerous? Like you can port yourself into a wall? And what does it cost you to do this? I don't want you exhausting yourself."

"As long as I know where I'm going, I'm fine and I've been doing it for so long that it never tires me. However...since I am outside the barrier between my world and yours...I should keep it simple for the time being."

He was touched by her concern.

"We could go to the office. There's no one there now," she suggested. It was at least twenty minutes away from Robert's apartment.

"The office it is then." He took her hand in his as magenta smoke surrounded them she could see them travelling across the sky almost as if they were flying. She couldn't help looking down and seeing the bright lights and skyscrapers of the city beneath her feet. The sight made her dizzy and even a bit nauseated. The entire trip lasted several seconds but to her it felt like minutes. They reappeared at her desk.

"T...That...was...amazing..." she gasped.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine...I..." She took a step forward and her legs gave out from under her.

He picked her up in his arms and carried her in the direction of his office, the double doors opening for him with a thought. Kat smiled.

"That can definitely come in handy on package delivery days," she quipped.

"You need to rest a bit after that...until you get used to it."

"I felt almost like I was flying. Can you fly, Rob?"

"No, I'm not Superman, dearie," he giggled.

"Or Harry Potter," she returned. Then she burst out laughing.

"Though I do identify a wee bit with Snape," he confessed.

"Me too. He was another who got shafted by the woman he loved," she snorted. "Why do all these authors feel that it's only the pretty and handsome people that deserve happy endings? So stupid!" She rolled her eyes. Then she asked, "Are there certain spells all mages know how to cast? Or are there some spells that only you can do, and no one else?"

"Yes there are certain spells all mages can cast but there are also spells only I can do and no one else. Those were related to the contracts I made with those who sought my assistance with their problems."

His brow furrowed. "And there are spells that should be forbidden because they violate the laws of magic such as the time travel spell Zelena cast."

"So you were a lawyer even then," she surmised. "I'm sorry, am I annoying you with all my questions? I don't mean to, but I have always wondered what it's like to have magic. I'm like a cat, I'm afraid. I always want to know why and how."

"No, no, dearie...I am just not accustomed to someone who is so accepting of my abilities and interested to learn about them."

"Then your first wife,Belle . . .she never asked you questions about magic? She was afraid of you?"

"When I think back on it now, aye...she was...until my magic was useful to her." He sighed. "Belle was my second wife. My first wife...I was not a mage when we were married."

Kat frowned. "Rob, that's terrible! You were cursed, and that can be scary but . . .I would have been fascinated to learn about magic, I AM fascinated, and you'd have had to tape my mouth shut to stop me from asking questions, and even then I'd write them down." She nodded. "Right. I sometimes forget that. Your first wife was the one who ran off with the pirate. And was your son's mother."

"Ask away, dearie. I don't mind. And magic...can also be taught. Regina was not born with the gift. She had to learn it."

"Are people who are born with it stronger than those who aren't? Can . . .anyone learn how? If so, why doesn't everyone in your world have magic?"

"Some who are born with it can be but that is not the case with Emma. And yes, anyone can learn how, even the simple miller's daughter Regina's mother was. Magic is not for everyone to learn because of the physical and mental demands it requires."

"So it's a difficult skill to learn. One that requires time and dedication and determination," she said. "Even if you are born with it."

"It does indeed but, you, who already possess some knowledge of magic could learn it though it would take a bit of time for you to master it."

She gasped. "Me? I could learn magic? You would teach me?"

"If you can tolerate my being a hard taskmaster at times."

She laughed. "Some of the best professors I ever had were hard taskmasters. And with the forces you wield . . .if you weren't that way I'd be afraid I'd kill myself or something. Magic to defend and protect and heal. What would you charge to do so?"

"Charge? Hmmm...dinner perhaps?"

"You'd consider dinner with me a fair bargain? How about if I make you dinner? That seems a fair exchange. My time and talent for yours."

He held out his hand. "You have a deal, dearie."

She shook firmly. "You have yourself a student, Mr. Gold."

"We should be getting back before Archie and Henry send out a search party."

"Yes. I can see them doing that," she laughed.

She put out a hand trustingly.

He shook it eagerly, confident that she would be a far better student than any of the Mills women.

Seconds later they were back in Robert's apartment.

Kat looked around. "Well, did you miss us?" she joked, feeling her head spin slightly. She went and sat down on the couch.

"How was it?" Jeanna demanded.

"We knew you were in good hands," Henry said.

"Very good hands," she assured. "And it was incredible."

"Did you fly like Superman?" Jeanna pressed.

"No . . .but it was still wonderful."

Robert summoned a cup of her tea and floated it over to her. "This is one of the first things I plan on teaching you..." he murmured, "Simple...but useful."

The others looked at each other. "You're going to teach her magic?" Archie asked.

"I have two students to teach," Robert answered, smiling at his grandson and Kat. "But I would prefer to wait until my curse is broken."

He approached Jeanna and Archie and waved a hand over each of their chests. "Now no one will be able to take your hearts." Then he waved his head over Kat on the sofa. "Nor yours, dearie."

"All right...now I think we should talk 'bout how the hell we're gonna get me into Storybrooke to do some stealing...and snooping." Jeanna reminded him.

"And make a certain bitch wife lose her shirt...literally," mumbled Kat.

But most importantly, they were going to give Robert back his free will.

 **A/N: Some of you may not agree with the sentiments we express in this story, you are free to do so. However, know that this story is pro-Rumple and a story about consequences which he paid that others on the show did not and never will, yet in this story others also pay consequences for their wrong choices, because it isn't just Rumple who makes them. We actually don't care what the show has done so please don't expect us to justify anything on it or agree with it. This is AU and how we feel about what went down since "Kansas" an episode we both loathe and above all this is the story we felt Rumple deserved. We also wish to express our sorrow for those Rumple fans who have been attacked and bullied on the web for defending him. We feel your pain. This story is for you. Again thank you all for reading!**


	5. Someone Else To Be There To Turn To

**~ Someone Else To Be There To Turn To ~**

Though it was only a short drive back to their apartment, Robert invited Archie and Henry to sleep over. Henry was excited that he would finally be getting to spend more time with his grandfather without having to deal with the chaos in Storybrooke, including never ending invasions of villains. Now that she was sober, Jeanna offered to drive Kat home and they would pick up her car in the morning. The two women spent most of the time discussing the men they both wanted to be more than friends to.

"I've been driving myself nuts for months trying to figure out how to tell Archie how I feel without sounding like an idiot," Jeanna confessed. "Now that I know who and what he really is...I understand why he's kept his walls up so long. Been there myself."

"Breaking Robert's down is going to be a bit harder for me," Kat sighed. "He's been opening up to me more in the last few days than he has in the six months I've been working for him and I don't want him to think I want to be with him now just because he's a sorcerer. It's not just the sorcerer I fell in love with but the man. I don't want this to be a rebound relationship. I'll wait. No matter how long it takes, I'll wait for him."

"Archie's the first time I've thought about settling down since that no account fiance of mine screwed me over."

"I just wish I knew of a way to break Robert's curse."

"I'm thinking once we get our hands on that damn dagger, that'll be a big help or at least some books in his shop that might tell us something. The guy scared the hell outta me at first but now that I'm getting to know him...well...he's kinda like I was...trying to prove he's a lot more than a dirt poor person who made good."

"The women in his life did little to boost his confidence. I really wish I could get my hands on that Belle. Something tells me she was younger than he was...a lot younger and not mature enough to handle the situation. She also sounds like she has a hero complex."

Jeanna laughed. "You sounded like the doc for a minute."

"It's what I think. I'm not going to let him go through this alone. He's been alone long enough. Now that Henry is back in his life, that will help."

"Well, here you go, Kat. Home safe and sound." Jeanna announced, stopping the truck in the parking lot of Kat's apartment building. "I guess I'll be seeing you around."

The other woman grinned. "You too." She yawned. "I'd better get some sleep. I have an eviction notice and custody papers to write up."

"Oh and I know how much you're going to enjoy writing that eviction notice."

"It would please me even more if I could see the look on her face when she gets it. Good night, Jeanna, and thank you for bringing me home."

Later that night in the guest bedroom Henry heard a crash in the apartment followed by his grandfather's voice crying out in terror. He collided with Archie who was sleeping on the sofa in the living room and had been awakened by it. The two of them ran into Robert's bedroom and found him thrashing about on the bed violently. Henry was about to try to reach out and touch him when Archie pulled him back.

"No!"

"Archie, we can't just let him..."

"Henry, listen to me. You can call out to him but do not touch him! Understand? Remember the one night you tried to do it to me?"

"Oh crap! I forgot. He'll think I'm trying to attack him like you did and try to fight back!"

The teenager approached the bed slowly. "Grandpa...GRANDPA, wake up! It's just a dream."

"I won't do it! I don't care how much pain you inflict on me I WILL NOT HURT THAT CHILD OR BELLE FOR YOUR CHILDISH SCHEMES, ZELENA!" Robert screamed.

"Grandpa, please...hear me...it's okay...she's dead!" Henry pleaded.

Even in his nightmare he could hear his grandson's frantic voice calling out his name...for a moment he sounded like his father when he was still a child. Along with it, however, he could still hear Zelena's menacing laughter and her cruel face taunting him.

 _"You will never be free of me."_

"Grandpa! It's Henry! I know you can hear me. You've got to wake up!"

Robert's eyes flew open. "H...Henry?"

"She's dead, Grandpa. You're gonna be okay."

"She killed him, Henry...she killed my Bae..." he sobbed brokenly. "And she almost took you away from me too...all I had left of my son..."

Henry wrapped his arms around Robert and held him tightly. "I know, Grandpa...I know..." he croaked. For several minutes the two of them sat together on the bed, finally being able to mourn the loss of a man they both loved deeply together. Archie merely stood back and allowed them their time to grieve, unable to imagine the pain Robert was feeling as a parent having to bury a child first when parents always assumed their children would bury them. Now that he was raising a child, he never wanted to experience that pain.

Robert dried his eyes. "I'm sorry I woke you up," he said to them.

"You have nothing to apologize for. Have you been having these nightmares every night?"

"Nearly every night. I'm just grateful my magic didn't react to it as it has in the past. There were many nights when I had to sleep apart from Belle for fear of harming her during one of them. Henry, would you mind making me a cup of Kat's tea?"

"No problem. Just give me a few minutes."

When Henry left the room Robert gestured to the vacant chair beside the bed.

"I know I said I would have sessions in your office but I would prefer to talk here."

"That won't be a problem. I take it you sent Henry out of the room because there's something you wanted to tell me in private."

Robert nodded. "Belle and I...we never consummated our marriage. I...I was afraid to."

"Because of Zelena? Rumple, did she abuse you...sexually?" Archie inquired gently.

"Shortly before I was freed Zelena wanted me to have dinner with her to celebrate her victory but all I wanted to do was try to get my dagger back. It was obvious she had more in mind than just dinner as a celebration when I saw her attire for the evening, a very low cut dress. She . . . she had one of my old Armani suits and forced me to wear it. She told me if I refused she would make me scream in agony. I obeyed her. I had no choice. When the dagger holder commands . . . it's very very difficult to resist. Almost impossible. We had dinner and talked, she laid out her plans in detail and I wanted her to think that she was starting to win me over so I kissed her...and she..." He closed his eyes and buried his face in his hands. "I played the whore to try to win my freedom but it was for nothing. She caught on to my deception and locked me back in my cage."

"Did you sleep with her?"

"Oh God no! It didn't get that far. She was sitting on the table and my God the noises she made...like a randy goat... She would have made me take her right then and there like the whore she was and God help me I would have done it had it gotten me my damned freedom! Then I would have stabbed her in her black heart! Afterwards, I felt so disgusted with her and myself that I threw up and when I could finally get the chance to take a decent shower I scrubbed and I scrubbed but no matter how hard I tried, I still felt filthy!"

"Rumple, what you experienced was similar to what rape victims do and you were violated both physically and emotionally. This is another reason why I wish I had gone to you or you would have come to me. You needed to talk about this, especially with Belle."

"One of the first things that came out of her damned mouth when she saw me again was for me to promise her that I would not go after that bitch. Not go after her? After she murdered my son...after she abused me for a year? I knew then she would never understand. I knew there would be no trial for that bitch, because her sister, utter fool that she was, felt _sorry_ for the scum that tried to kill us all, had killed Bae, and even tried to murder a newborn baby for her ritual. She even attacked Henry, and caused me to terrify little Roland. All of that, and yet Regina with her false bloody _sympathy_ would have let her walk free! Free to harm again, to torment me with her gloating smug smile and her psycho laugh and her stupid tagline of wicked always wins!" Rumple sneered, trembling. "I have never hated anyone like I did that bitch. She made me into her slave, her puppet, for the simple reason that I refused to give my heart to a spoiled brat, and she took from me everything—she took my dignity, my self-respect—what little I had—she tried to make me kill Belle and then she took my boy . . . my happy ending!" Tears trickled down his face. "Bae was always that . . . always. I think . . . I think a part of me knew even then . . . that Belle would never love me enough . . . and she proved me right that day in my shop . . . when she chose to plead for the life of that wicked bitch over me and mine! My child was _gone_ . . . I offered her the dagger, hoping she'd refuse, only she jumped at the chance to control the Dark One, to make me into her handsome hero, because mere cursed Rumple Gold wasn't good enough for her!" Rumple's voice was thick with bitterness and shame.

"Tell me what happened on your wedding night. Were you intimate with each other at all?"

"No more than we had been before. She was still a virgin...at least I think she was still a virgin. Now, I don't know. I told her that we should wait a bit...until we were both more comfortable before consummating the marriage. She never questioned it. Probably was relieved not to have to pretend to enjoy a crippled old man like me. And that night when she was asleep, I found the hat. I was already restless because I feared I would have another nightmare."

"So you decided to bury your pain and concentrate on breaking your curse on your own."

"Yes. But then the Frozen crew showed up and the rest you know."

Archie sighed deeply. "You're not the only man who's felt violated by a woman."

Rumple's eyes widened. "You...but who...?"

"Who was the only woman I actively feared?"

"Regina?! She...raped you?"

The therapist looked away. "When she started bringing Henry to me for sessions...a part of me tried to be sympathetic to her. She was a single mother...and I thought she was lonely because though Henry did fill part of the void in her life, he didn't fill all of it. One night she asked me to go over to the house to discuss Henry's progress over dinner and I had a glass of wine or two. Normally it takes more than that to get me drunk but somehow we ended up in bed. I felt guilty about it but of course she used the incident to blackmail me. . . would claim I'd taken advantage of her."

Robert snorted. "Well that would have been the pot calling the kettle black since she had Graham chained to her for years! I have no doubt she drugged you. That would be like her."

"After that...any dates I went on, I absolutely refused to go any further than kissing and wouldn't drink a drop of alcohol, not wanting to fall into that trap again!"

"I don't blame you. I take it Henry doesn't know?"

"No! And I don't want him to!"

"Just as I don't want him to know what happened with Zelena . . ."

Archie sighed. "Back before the Dark Curse, we held a meeting to decide what to do with Regina once we captured her. I argued that she should be executed. You may find that surprising coming from me but I believed then she would never change. Snow wanted to believe she could and if I remember correctly you helped her with a test for Regina that Regina failed. We were all upset." Thinking back on what she'd done to him during the curse, he wished he'd been able to regain his memories earlier and never allowed himself to fall into her trap.

"Some people...they can never escape their darkness. Regina is that kind of person."

Henry stood outside the bedroom door and rapped softly to let them know he was there. He hadn't meant to listen in but what he heard disgusted him. His mother disgusted him. He knew about Graham but finding out the Regina had used Archie that way too and what Zelena did to his grandfather made him want to vomit. Robert gestured and the door opened. "Are you doing okay now, Grandpa?" he asked worriedly as he handed him his cup of tea.

He sipped it slowly. "One day at a time, dearie. I'm taking it one day at a time." Once the cup was finished, he set it down on the nightstand and yawned. "I'd better get some sleep. Plenty to do tomorrow."

Henry hugged him. "We'll be here if you need us."

"I know you will," Robert murmured and closed his eyes.

Archie returned to his bed on the couch, a sense of relief washing over him. Like Robert, he too had been keeping his secret buried, fearing ridicule for putting himself in such an awful position but that day he'd stood up to Regina he finally had a card to play. He would be the one to decide whether Regina would lose her son or not and in the end, he'd followed through on his threat just not in a way she'd expected.

When Robert walked into the office the next morning Kat was sitting at her desk typing up the eviction notice and singing a song he'd heard Bae playing on his Ipod one day and scolded him for the bad language it contained.

"My friend's got a girlfriend

Man he hates that bitch

He tells me every day

He says man I really gotta lose my chick

In the worst kind of way

She sits on her ass

He works his hands to the bone

To give her money every payday

But she wants more dinero just to stay at home

Well my friend

You gotta say

I won't pay, I won't pay ya, no way

Na-na, Why don't you get a job?"

"A bit hostile this morning, aren't we, dearie?" he giggled.

"Well she doesn't have a real job. . . . the only reason her job even existed was because you gave it to her and you even allowed her to live there rent free," Kat said tartly, having spoken to him earlier about that very thing. "She played you, Rob, using your guilt and mooching off you but that's gonna be over as soon as she gets this." She pulled the document out of the printer and handed it to him to look over. "Have I forgotten anything?"

"Add the cabin in. I rarely use it but I'm not taking any chances. I thought I wrote it down for you but I must have forgotten. Here's the address."

Kat opened up Word and added the cabin address in then reprinted the notice. She was going to send it out with the day's mail and mark it for priority delivery so that Belle would receive it no later than the following morning. From that day on the clock would start ticking. She also noticed that Robert had dark circles under his eyes and followed him into his office.

"You had more nightmares last night, didn't you?"

"Yes but Henry and Archie talked to me a bit afterwards, mostly Archie. There were some...things I told him about Zelena."

"That's good." Her curiosity was eating her alive to know what was discussed, but she respected his privacy too much to pry. If he wished her to know, he would tell her. He was entitled to that. Though she hoped someday he would trust her enough to speak of what he had endured, so she could share his pain and soothe it.

He glanced at his watch. "Damn. We'd better get over to the courthouse!" They had a hearing to attend concerning one of his cases. Kat handed him the files he needed and he perused them quickly, a smile forming on his lips. "Well, well...with this little bombshell it looks like Mr. and Mrs. Joe Q Public had better reconsider those big plans they have for the money they think they'll be getting in this lawsuit. Good work, dearie. How did you get your hands on this goldmine?"

"I called a friend at the Post who owed me a favor. These people have been trying to get rich quick for years, mostly on slip and fall scams and they've been able to get two out of court settlements but apparently, they went through that money a little too fast and after my reporter friend gave the insurance agent a call, he did some digging and found out the car was registered to a cousin of the husband's."

"This has got to be the most idiotic case of insurance fraud I've handled. Had I been the one doing it I sure as hell wouldn't have gotten a relative to hit me. I would have just paid a stranger to do it. But...I'm going to enjoy making them look like the prize fools at the fair."

"I wish I had a soda and a popcorn for the show."

He would have gladly given them to her but it would have been highly inappropriate in the courthouse. "Well, it's showtime, dearie."

The couple Robert called Mr. and Mrs. Joe Q Public's names were Suzy and Eddie Horowitz. Both were in their early thirties, had five children, and were living on welfare because neither of them could keep a steady job. They sat across from him at the plaintiff's table, smiling smugly as they dreamed of the good life they would have with the money. He couldn't wait to take the wind out of their sails and make their ship sink faster than the Titanic. Eddie gave his testimony first, making a point to wince in pain at appropriate times when describing the accident and even going as far as weeping when he described how difficult it had been for him to work due to his injuries.

 _Shall I summon the violins, dearie? Or how about a boat for that river you're crying up there?_

"Mr. Horowitz, you claim that until the time of your accident, you had an immaculate work record. Correct?"

"Yes."

"Then can you explain to me how sixteen call outs in a year constitutes a good work record?"

"Ummm...ummm...I was...ill..." he stammered.

"One of your supervisors reported that he saw you at a bar the night before one of your calls outs. This 'illness' wouldn't have been a hangover, would it?"

"Objection. My client's work record is not an issue here and counsel is speculating."

"Calls to the credibility of the witness. Mr. Horowitz has stated under oath that he had a perfect attendance record at the factory prior to his accident yet we've obtained documents from his current employer and his previous two employers that refute this claim."

Robert handed the judge the copies of the records. "I submit these documents as Defense exhibits twenty-seven through thirty-eight."

The judge studied the documents. "Overruled. Continue, Mr. Gold."

Kat giggled behind her hand. _Strike one, Rob._

"Now then, Mr. Horowitz, you also claimed you did not know the person whose car collided with yours. Is this also true?"

"Of course it's true!"

"You do not know Adam Kitzer at all?"

"No!"

"If we were to trace your ancestry, would we find Mr. Kitzer's name under any portion of your family tree?"

"No!"

"Adam Kitzer is your cousin on your mother's side is he not?"

"I just told you no!"

"And I'm afraid that's not entirely true, Mr. Horowitz. In fact, Adam Kitzer is your cousin by your mother's sister Kalinda."

"That's a lie!"

"Objection! Speculation!"

"Your Honor, I have here documents tracing Mr. Horowitz's ancestry back several generations, including copies of birth certificates that prove beyond a reasonable doubt that these two men are related. I'd like to submit them as Defense exhibits thirty-nine through forty-two."

"Submitted and your objection is overruled." the judge informed the plaintiff's counsel.

"The truth is, Mr. Horowitz, you and your cousin arranged this little accident to defraud my client of thousands of dollars, is it not, Mr. Horowitz?"

"You...you..."

"And this is not the first case of insurance fraud you have committed, is it?"

"I did NOT set this up!"

"Your Honor, I have several other exhibits I would like to submit into evidence that show that Mr. and Mrs. Horowitz have been running these types of scams on insurance companies and have gotten at least two out of court settlements for thousands of dollars over a period of ten years along with depositions from investigators, one who had sufficient evidence to take his claims to trial but the case was dismissed." Robert handed the files Kat had given him to the judge. "I now ask for a dismissal of the case against my client on the grounds of fraud."

 _Strike three! You're out, Mr. Horowitz_! Kat thought gleefully.

"In light of this evidence Mr. Gold, I will have to agree with you. Case dismissed!" The judge pounded his gavel down.

"You...you...dried up old...crip bastard!" Eddie cursed.

"I'd watch my tongue if I were you, dearie, and start saving up for a criminal defense attorney. You'll need it."

As he was walking out of the courtroom he stopped one of the assistant DAs and handed her the stack of files. "Happy Birthday, Jennifer."

"What's this?"

"Your latest win...a slam dunk insurance fraud case. I know they're your favorite."

She smirked. "I owe you one! How about a drink sometime?"

"Ummm...I'm spoken for, dearie, but maybe you could get me tickets to the theater sometime."

"So, you finally pulled your head out of your ass and asked your assistant out! It's about time. Congratulations, Kat!"

"Thank you, Miss DeLong." Kat was blushing. Robert held out his hand to her and they walked out of the courthouse. They could hear people talking as they passed them by, many of them echoing Jennifer DeLong's sentiments that it was about time Robert Gold came out of his shell.

Later that afternoon Robert took her to lunch in Manhattan at one of the finest Italian restaurants. It wasn't a date, not yet, but she truly felt like it was from the moment they walked in the door. He was every inch the gentleman for her, opening their car door and the holding the door to the restaurant open for her, pulling out her chair, allowing her to sit down first before he sat. Her previous boyfriends; there hadn't been that many were more concerned about how much they had to spend when they went out with her, not whether she was enjoying herself and most of the time they talked about themselves or sports.

"Your Italian cuisine is some of the finest I've ever tasted," Robert praised.

"Did you have anything similar to it where you came from?"

"No...but the Scottish cuisine is quite close and we survived on what we grew or hunted though I couldn't hunt even after I became...this. I've always had a kinship with animals."

"Did you have a familiar?"

"No but I have befriended a stray or two."

"I see you as a dog and cat person."

"Funny you should mention that. Belle found it odd that Pongo and I bonded briefly when we were trying to figure out what had happened to Archie. When he was abducted, Regina's mother killed someone else and disguised the body to look like him. Through Pongo's memories we found out she went to his apartment disguised as Regina."

"I'm surprised Regina didn't kill him."

"They have a complicated history and she had threatened him prior to that. Everyone suspected me at first."

Kat scoffed. "Oh of course they would. You were a convenient scapegoat for them."

"Not anymore, dearie."

"Robert, I know you are going to have Henry stay over on Saturday...but would you mind if I came over and cooked dinner for the two of you?"

Though she wanted to set aside at least one evening for dinner for just the two of them, she also wanted to spend time with Henry as well and get to know him if she was going to be a part of Robert's life.

 _Not if. I want to be a part of his life,_ she thought. _I will be._

But first they had to free him from the curse that had been his cross to bear for centuries and were she able to, she would have gladly gone into the vulture territory herself to bring back the items Robert needed.

Robert was smiling. "I'd like that very much," he said softly.

"We can still have a private dinner...sometime..."

"We will," he assured her.

Kat was having such a wonderful time that she wasn't looking forward to having to go back to the office. Robert would be in meetings for the rest of the day and she would be busy preparing the documents for the next court hearing that Friday. Robert hardly ever got the opportunity to be in a courtroom while he was living under the curse in Storybrooke and never did after it but he enjoyed the challenges he faced when his cases went to trial and she enjoyed watching him face them head on, refusing to back down even when it seemed the odds were stacked against him and most of his clients were insurance companies who hired him to defend them when they refused to pay settlements when they suspected a claimant had committed fraud. A master of deceptions himself, he'd learned quickly that there were people in this world whose schemes made his seem mild in comparison.

She remembered well the first time she realized her feelings for him went beyond what was appropriate for the man who was her boss. Robert's first case for the firm was representing an insurance company claiming that one of their members had faked his own death to collect on a large policy he'd taken out months earlier. Once he was sitting in the room with the widow and listening to her give her deposition, his suspicions had been aroused and he and Kat spent several weeks looking for the evidence that would prove the company's claims of fraud were justified. They were both at the office late one night looking through some photographs when they found the evidence they needed. It was the first time she'd seen Robert smile and he'd been smiling for her, praising her for the time and dedication she put into her work and she'd gazed deeply into his eyes, seeing for the first time the man behind the machine. All those months he'd moved around the office like a robot, barely speaking except when he needed to, working long into the night. His work ethic was successful in winning his cases but it was not the kind of life he deserved. All she had needed to do was wait for the appropriate time to show him what he was missing.

They could hear the whispers of their colleagues when they walked back into the office together, but unlike many other workplaces where tongues wagged out of jealousy or envy, everyone seemed to be accepting of the new couple since they were known as the loners of the firm. Suggestions had even been made to try to set them up on a blind date, plans that were never put in to action due to the heavy caseload the firm had.

"Congratulations, Kat," said Lynda, an assistant to one of the senior partners as she was walking out to her car later that afternoon. "We all thought you and Rob would be good together."

"We're taking it one day, one step at a time, Lyn, so don't be printing the wedding invitations yet."

Her boss, Mark Arenberg, had the same idea.

"We don't normally encourage workplace relationships but we'll make an exception in your case, Rob. You and Katherine work well together and it's about time you came out of that rock you've been hiding under since you got here. I take it serving that eviction notice on your ex helped?"

"It has, yes. I unfortunately made the mistake of marrying a younger woman."

Mark nodded sympathetically. "She saw the dollar signs and little else?"

"No...I had just lost my son...and we'd been seeing each other off and on..."

"Oh I am so sorry! I didn't know!"

"I don't talk about it."

"Was he ill?"

Robert's eyes narrowed to slits. "He was murdered. The person responsible was punished sufficiently. My wife did not agree with it."

"She's probably one of those who is against the death penalty."

"Something like that."

"I can't even imagine how that has been for you. If one of my daughters..."

"It's a hole in your heart that can never be filled. A parent expects a child to bury them. We never expect to bury our children and when they're taken away from us the way Bae was taken from me...I felt as if part of me died with him."

"Does Katherine know?"

"We've talked about it."

"Are you...seeing anyone? I could recommend someone here in the city."

"My grandson's adoptive father is a therapist here in New York."

"What's his name?"

"Archibald Hopper."

"Lisa takes her son to him after that business at school. He's good. Why don't you have custody of your grandson?"

"We're working out a joint custody agreement and Henry's happy with it. He's had a difficult time himself...he barely got to know his father since his mother gave him up for adoption when he was a baby and he was having issues with the woman who adopted him so Archie stepped in. I'm grateful for that. I didn't get much of a chance to spend time with Henry back where we used to live and lost contact. Archie hired a private investigator to find me."

"Oh, so that's why Jeanna O'Malley showed up at your office!" Mark laughed. "You ought to hire her in your case against you ex-wife."

"I already am. I've been told she's already seeing someone."

"Good luck, Rob, and maybe one of these nights you, Katherine, and your grandson could come over for dinner."

"I'd like that."

On Friday afternoon Archie was reading over his notes for a custody hearing he had to attend the following week when Jeanna walked into his office carrying a bag from a nearby Kentucky Fried Chicken on one arm and another from the grocery store. He closed his journal and set it aside, leaning back in his chair. She set the bag down on his desk.

"What's that?"

"Lunch."

"You didn't have to bring me lunch, Jeanna."

He lifted the lid of the bucket and peered inside, frowning when he plucked a piece of chicken from the bucket, grease seeping into his fingertips.

"You ever have KFC before?"

"Ummmm...no..."

"Now don't you be telling me you're a vegetarian or one of those health nuts!" Jeanna protested.

"Well...ahhhh...I'm not a vegetarian."

"Good. She pulled up a chair and sat in front of the desk, taking paper plates, red Solo cups and plastic utensils out of the bag. "You're going to have your first country lunch, Doc." She poured Mountain Dew into the cups and handed one of them to him. "You can't have any Bud until this weekend."

"Have you decided where you want to go tomorrow night?" he asked softly.

"About that...ummm...I was thinkin' about going up to my campsite for the weekend."

"You want to cancel..." he began, unable to disguise the disappointment in his voice.

"No, I want to take you to my campsite...for the weekend."

"Jeanna, I really think it's a bit too soon in our...ahh...relationship to be spending the weekend together."

"I'm not talking about sleeping together, Archie! I'm just talking about us spending some time alone, getting away from the city and getting back to nature. I would think you of all people wouldn't mind it. We can go fishing, do some hiking and give Pongo some exercise too since the place allows dogs."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "All I've seen of this state is skyscrapers. That was one thing I missed about Maine, the scenery. I used to take Pongo for walks all over town and sometimes in the woods because it was relaxing for me."

"Then I guess it's time we get the cricket back into his natural habitat," she said with a smile.

"You're taking all of this rather well for an outsider, Jeanna."

"After what I've seen I had two choices: walk away or join the madness...and I've invested too much to just walk away."

Their eyes met across the desk.

"Jeanna, I..."

She held up her hand to silence him. "I've been driving myself crazy for months tryin to think of how to tell you how much I like you, Doc," she said, her accent thickening with her nervousness. "Probably drove you crazy by busting in on you all the time and takin' too long on the case but I did it because...I wanted to see you."

"You're grown on me," he admitted with a smile. "I've been out of the dating scene for a while so you can imagine my surprise when you asked me to dinner."

"I was planning on that being part of my fee after I knew you for a month," Jeanna admitted.

To him their lunch felt like a date though it wasn't. The food wasn't what he normally ate or cooked for Henry but he was getting used to it, just as he was getting used to Jeanna being a part of his life. She was his complete opposite in many ways but he couldn't deny the feelings they were having any more than she could. Once lunch was over, they were both a bit reluctant to go back to work even if they did have the weekend to look forward to where there would be just the two of them and no distractions.

Both men were nervous on Friday. Robert would have Henry with him during his dinner with Kat and that helped ease his mind a bit but Archie and Jeanna would be alone. Archie decided to go shopping after he dropped Henry off at school, the business suits and casual clothes he wore not suited for a trip to the woods and remembered how cold the forest would sometimes get at night when he was a cricket was on his mind as he shopped. While he was walking to his car he stopped in his tracks when he spotted three familiar faces walking down the street. It was Robin, Marian, and little Roland. The last thing he wanted was for Robin to tell Regina where he was. That would mean she would go there and try to take Henry. He pulled out his phone and got in the car, frantically dialing Robert's number.

"Mr. Gold's office, this is Katherine speaking," Kat greeted.

"Kat...it's Archie! Is Rumple busy?"

"He's in a meeting right now, Archie. What's wrong?"

"Robin Hood is in New York. I...I don't know if he saw me or not but I don't want him to know we're here because if Regina calls him...she might try to come here and take Henry."

"Well she'll have a fight on her hands I can guarantee that. Don't you worry, Archie. We'll take care of it," Kat promised.

The therapist breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Kat. I'm sorry to trouble you..."

"Not at all. You just concentrate on having a good time this weekend."

Back at the apartment, Robert was rushing around like a madman preparing for the perfect evening with Kat. He had several CDs in the Bose system to play during dinner and later after they sent Henry to bed, he wanted to share a dance with her. The florist was going to be sending over a dozen roses and a box of chocolates. He cleaned the entire apartment from top to bottom himself without the use of magic as he always did while he was cursed and as a spinner. Belle had been surprised once he regained his magic to see him running a vacuum, dusting and on his hands and knees scrubbing the bathroom and kitchen. He despised dirt in his home, he'd lived with enough of it in his early childhood with Malcolm and his floors were so clean that you could eat off them, his son even agreed to that. While he was living in the Dark Castle there were several rooms he cleaned himself knowing Belle was not experienced enough with housework to do them and if he had to be honest, she didn't have THAT much to do in his castle.

Earlier in the week he searched all over New York to find a new spinning wheel, locating one in an antique shop in Manhattan. Part of him missed being an antiquities dealer and sometimes he thought about getting back into the business again but that was before he knew Henry was in town. Now he wanted nothing to take away time from his grandson and soon he would be cutting back his hours at the firm. There was a new white tablecloth covering the mahogany Chippendale dining room table that he'd woven himself with gold trimming in Celtic patterns made from his own spun gold. He'd been surprised when he sat down at his wheel and discovered that he hadn't lost that ability. The centerpiece was a bowl with a dragon carved into it that would hold a bouquet of orchids along with matching dragon candleholders holding cinnamon and apple scented candles. The table was set with his new set of Royal Daulton china and gold Grand Baroque flatware from Neiman Marcus.

Now he stood in his bedroom in front of the mirror, scowling at his reflection with dozens of discarded outfits on the floor at his feet, none of them feeling right to him. He held up a navy blue Armani suit and cream colored silk shirt, shaking his head and added them to the pile. He pulled out suit after suit until his closet was empty. When he glanced over at the clock he realized it was almost time to pick Henry up.

"Oh damn!" he cursed. He threw on a white button down shirt and a pair of jeans and raced out of the bedroom to get his keys. His wardrobe would have to wait until later...unless his grandson had some ideas.

Archie was waiting with Henry when Robert's BMW pulled into the school's parking lot, the teenager's eyes bulging out his sockets when he caught sight of his grandfather in his new casual attire.

"Holy crap! You and Archie are really learning fast, aren't you?" He pointed to his foster father who was wearing a blue button down shirt and black jeans.

"I...ummm...don't have any clean clothes..." the sorcerer replied.

"You mean you threw them everywhere trying to figure out what to wear tonight, right?" quizzed his grandson.

"Ummm...yes...I was...ahhh...hoping you might be able to help me out with that."

"Cool! Don't worry, Grandpa. We'll get you looking great before Kat shows up." He hugged Archie. "You look great. Have a good time."

"You too. I'll pick you up after school on Monday but text or call me. I might be able to get a signal up there."

Robert waved his hand. "You will. Have a good time, Archie."

"You too." They winked at each other.

Henry was impressed the moment he walked into his grandfather's apartment and saw how he'd decorated for the evening. "Maybe I oughta order pizza and let you two be alone for the evening."

"No, lad. I want you here and so does Kat. She and I can have dinner alone some other time."

Henry glanced at the table setting and then at his grandfather. "Hmmm...maybe you should wear this."

The teenager closed his eyes and concentrated on an image of his grandfather in his black dragonscale suit. A cloud of smoke surrounded the elder sorcerer and to his surprise he was now dressed in that very outfit.

"Henry! Well done lad!" he praised.

"Been practicing," he said with a grin. "And think about it, Grandpa...you're going for the medieval decor here so you may as well look the part. Do you think this'll look okay for me?" Henry closed his eyes again and when he opened them he was dressed in a blue tunic with black velvet breeches and brown leather boots.

"It looks perfect."

Suddenly the room began to spin and he collapsed to the floor. "Why the heck am I so tired?" he murmured.

"Ye're just learning lad, so you're gonna be a wee bit tired after you do a complicated spell." Robert took his hand and helped him to his feet. "Come on over to the sofa and rest for a while," he advised, summoning a cup of his grandson's cinnamon hot chocolate to him along with a box of Cinnabons. "You're going to be hungry and thirsty too so you must replenish your energy but save some room in your stomach for dinner or Kat will wallop me."

Henry laughed. "And me...okay, Grandpa. But can we talk about Dad?"

"Yes, we can." Talking about his son was something he never got tired of doing. Robert told his grandson of some of Baelfire's mishaps during his younger days, reminding the boy of himself when he was trying to escape from Regina's tyrannical rule. Henry had just started to bond with his father when Pan and his cronies had ruined everything by taking him away, forcing both Robert and Baelfire to make a painful choice to save the boy they both were growing to love.

Back at her own apartment, Kat was having an even more difficult time trying to decide what she wanted to wear for the evening. She finally decided on an aubergine Adrianna Papell lace yoke drape gown with sunburst gathers on the front and back of the dress and black peep toed leather pumps. When she heard the doorbell ring she grabbed her tote bag that held her cooking apron and her mother's cookbook along with the groceries she needed and ran to open it.

"Good evening, Miss Fiochetta," a tall balding man said. "My name is Dove. "Mr. Gold has asked me to drive you over to his home this evening due to the late hour."

"Hello Dove. But...I thought you were back...there..."

He smiled. "No, I left shortly after Mr. Gold did but I've been on holiday. Shall we go?" He took the bags from her and carried them out to the car.

"By all means, Mr. Dove."

 _My Robert,_ she thought. _Always so considerate_.

Kat felt like a princess from his world or a celebrity on the red carpet during the drive to his apartment. She opened her compact several times, checking her appearance, hoping that she wasn't underdressed, that her hair and makeup looked perfect, her glasses weren't spotty. She wanted the evening to be perfect for all of them, especially Robert and Henry who needed this time together to bond. _Please let the evening go well, and I hope Rob likes what I'm wearing._

Robert was pacing the floors as he waited for Kat to arrive, stopping every few minutes to check his appearance in the mirror above the mantel.

"Grandpa, you're gonna wear a hole in the floor, now sit down!" Henry advised.

"Do I look all right, Henry? Is my collar straight...my hair...it's not sticking up is it?"

"It won't if you stop running your fingers through it!" he teased. "Kat wouldn't care if you ran around naked. She likes you just as you are."

"You're not funny!"

"My dad would be saying the same things, y'know."

Robert sighed. "Aye, lad, he would and he would be teasing me much more than you are, the scamp."

Then the doorbell rang. Henry ran to answer it. Robert vanished in a puff of smoke along with the bouquet of roses. "Whoa! You look great, Kat!" he exclaimed. Dove carried Kat's shopping bag into the kitchen and set it down on the counter. "Have a good evening, Miss Fiochetta," he said as he exited.

She blushed. "Thank you, Henry. I...I'm afraid I may be a bit overdressed..." she murmured as she studied his outfit. "You look very handsome."

"Thanks. I made this myself using magic."

"You did! That's wonderful! I'm sure your grandfather was very proud." She looked around. "Where is he by the way?"

"He was here...Grandpa, come on! Don't be hiding like a kid!" he scolded.

"Robert, come out, come out wherever you are..." Kat singsonged.

The sorcerer reappeared in the room in a puff of magenta smoke bowing as he held out the bouquet of roses for her. Her eyes met his when she took them from his hands. "You look beautiful, dearie," he murmured.

"So...so do you..." she stammered, seeing him in his native garb leaving her as breathless as it did the first time she saw it.

He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it softly. "Are you certain you wouldn't mind me cooking dinner this evening? I'd hate to see your lovely dress get ruined."

She took her apron out of her bag and held it out to him. On the front of it was the saying: **The trouble with eating Italian food is 3 days later you're hungry again**! It was certainly true when her mother and grandmothers did the cooking and if you walked away from their tables hungry it was your own fault. "I'll be fine, Robert. Well, I'd better get started. You two just relax and I'll have everything ready in a bit."

She waved them off, thinking at least being in the kitchen didn't make her feel awkward, like a silly girl. She tied on her apron and took out her cookbook and began.

She started off by making mozzarella sticks with marinara sauce as an appetizer, rolling sticks of mozzarella cheese in her mother's breading recipe and frying them in oil. Once they were finished she retrieved the serving cart from the closet and set the plate on it along with a small bowl holding the marinara sauce. The delicious aroma lured the two hungry Gold men into the kitchen.

"Oh my God I love cheese sticks! May I have one, Kat?" Henry pleaded.

"Of course. That's just to whet your appetite," she teased with a grin.

She opened her cookbook and flipped through the pages until she found the recipe she wanted. She was also going to make Italian style hot chocolate for Henry as a surprise. The main course was going to be chicken with lemon garlic wine sauce. She cut the pieces of chicken into small pieces and rolled them into her mother's breading and fried them in a buttery sauce with chopped garlic, lemon juice, a bit of sugar and white wine then baked them in the oven with slices of lemon as a garnish.

"Need any help, dearie?" Robert asked.

"I've got it all under control."

While the chicken was baking she prepared the egg noodles and green beans almondine as her sides. She topped the noodles with butter, parsley, basil, pepper and sea salt and added the chicken to them. The final course was a homemade loaf of Italian bread. As she was about to place the dishes on the serving cart and wheel it into the dining room, he shook his head.

"Allow me. You've already done enough work."

She waited with baited breath when Henry and Robert picked up pieces of chicken and noodles with their forks and took a bite. Was it too spicy? Not spicy enough? Had she cooked it long enough? Surely this simple meal wouldn't impress a man who could eat at any five star restaurant in the city? There were so many troubled thoughts running through her mind that she could barely focus on eating her own dinner.

"Ahhh marvelous, dearie, simply marvelous!" Robert murmured. "I may be a master of magic, but you dearie, are a mistress of the kitchen. You should think of opening your own restaurant!"

"Oh yeah...this is really good, Kat!" Henry agreed.

"Thank...thank you..."

A rosy glow tinted her cheeks as she watched them eat, thinking that at least one thing had gone right tonight.

She'd cooked enough that each of them could have second helpings and there would even be enough left that the boys could eat it for lunch the next day if they wanted to. It was a wonderful dinner, the best one any of them had in months. Kat asked Henry about school and how he enjoyed life in New York and they made plans for future weekends together. She was delighted that Robert's grandson shared their passion for Harry Potter and the three of them got into a lengthy discussion about the books and films.

"Grandpa says you're a writer. Do you write Harry Potter stories, Kat?"

"I've written a few," she admitted.

"Cool! Can I read them sometime?"

"Ummm...I suppose...but they don't follow canon."

"If you make Snape better than he is the books, that's fine with me."

"Oh I do. And sometimes I write about him and Lily as a couple."

"Yeah, she shouldn't have married James."

Robert chuckled from his seat. "We could talk each other's ears off about that."

"What else do you write?"

"Mostly historicals with some fantasy elements. Now that I have a magic expert around I'll be driving him insane with my countless questions about magic."

"Once you learn it you will start to find the answers on your own," Robert said. "You're going to discover that magic is an endless quest. You will not know everything right away, nor will you know everything when you pass into the afterlife but you learn enough to guide you through the trials life throws at you."

"I've been practicing mine but it makes me tired when I do a difficult spell."

"You'll find that out too, Kat. It may require more of your energy since you were not born with the gift. I am the exception because I gained my magic through a curse."

"A curse we're going to break together, Robert," Kat said determinedly.

Once dinner was over, the boys insisted that Kat relax in the living room while they cleaned up the kitchen and washed the dishes. She settled herself on the loveseat and pulled a copy of The Half Blood Prince off the shelf and began to reread it again.

"Why don't we have a Potter-thon, Grandpa?" Henry suggested.

"That sounds like a great idea, Henry."

Kat stood up. "And while you two get everything ready, I'm going to prepare my surprise."

Robert arched an eyebrow. "A surprise?"

"For Henry. I'll be right back."

"Grandpa, she's great, isn't she?"

"Yes, she is," he said softly. "I don't want to rush things, Henry. You understand, don't you?"

"I know but you should be happy too. Dad would want that. I know he wanted to be with Mom but she never gave him a chance...just went right to Hook and I think he only did it to make you and Dad mad. I mean...one minute she hates him, the next she's fangirling over him. Same with Regina. I didn't matter much once they got men in the lives. I tried to like Hook but I didn't trust him because I knew some of the things he did. He was a bully who picked on you because you were a crippled spinner, and he could mock you. I never understood how Mom could want to go out with someone who . . . who broke apart a family like that . . . and more than once." Henry scowled. "He tried to make like he was interested in me, but I could tell he really just wanted my mom. He claimed he knew my dad, but he really only knew him two weeks. That's not knowing someone, that's just meeting them! And he kept calling you "crocodile"! So insulting! He stopped once I told him to, but I could tell he never would've if he hadn't wanted to impress me."

"You were right to hold onto your doubts, Henry. That pirate has them all fooled and sooner or later they're going to regret it. But he's there and you're here. You won't have to worry about him again as long as I'm around."

"What if they find the dagger? Can they call you back?"

"I don't know. It's possible. I'll have Jeanna try to summon me once she gets hold of the dagger. If it doesn't work that means my curse is inactive outside the town barrier," Robert sighed deeply. "That also means we may have to go back there to break it."

"And here is my surprise. Ciocolatta Calda for you and Ciocolatta Biscotti for your grandfather!" Kat announced when she returned to the room carrying a tray with two cups of the hot beverage topped with whipped cream that she handed to them. "I hope you like it."

Henry sipped his slowly. "It's almost like drinking chocolate pudding! Kat, this is great!"

"Indeed it is," Robert agreed. "Do you have the recipe for this, Kat?"

"I certainly do. I already added it to the ones in your kitchen because I knew you would need it."

The three of them sat on the sofa together sipping their hot chocolate and covered with one of Robert's afghans while they watched the Harry Potter movies. They were halfway through the second one when Robert noticed that his grandson had fallen asleep. The clever teenager was actually pretending to be asleep so that his grandfather would send him to bed and the couple could spend some time alone.

"Henry, lad...let's get you into bed," Robert whispered into his ear.

"Okay..." he mumbled. "Night, Kat."

"Goodnight, Henry." She gave him a hug and kissed his cheek.

Robert led his sleeping grandson down the hall to the room he had prepared for him. "We'll go shopping for your room tomorrow lad, okay?"

"Mmm hmm." He crawled under the covers. "Night, Grandpa. Have a good time."

"See you in the morning, lad."

Henry turned over and drifted off to sleep with a sly smile on his lips. _I'm_ a _chip off the old block all right,_ he thought.

Robert returned to the living room and turned on the Bose system, bowing to Kat. "Would you like to dance?" he inquired softly.

"I'd love to."

He took her into his arms and held her close while All The Way by Frank Sinatra and Celine Dion played. She gazed up at him, all the love and admiration she felt in her heart reflecting in her eyes. She did love him only she knew it was too soon to tell him and she knew he didn't love her, not yet. His heart was still shattered from Belle's rejection and it would take time to heal. No, they would not rush into this new relationship as his wife obviously had. A good relationship as she learned from her mother, took years to build.

She felt as if she were dancing among the stars in his arms and for a moment she thought it was another one of her dreams, only better. They were a mix of modern and classic, she in a twenty-first century gown, he in his medieval leathers, fantasy and reality, two worlds colliding in a wonderful way. She closed her eyes and laid her head on his shoulder and instead of being nervous, he found it comforting.

 _How different she is from Belle, he thought. She's seen all I am and has accepted it but I won't...I can't love her...not yet. I don't want to be disappointed._

 _Take a chance Robert._

 _Every time I do, I get my heart broken and the demon takes more of it._

 _You can't let him win this time._

"...Who knows where the road will lead us?

Only a fool would say

But if you'll let me love you

It's for sure I'm gonna love you all the way, all the way..."

Kat smiled, thinking that the song described her feelings perfectly. She knew the road ahead would be a long one, sometimes difficult and painful but she was ready for the challenge. Her mother had prepared her well enough for it.

 _I can do it, Mom. I can finally find the good man you wanted me to settle down with. I just wish you were here to see him. But you're watching over me._

When the song was over he stood in the center of the room still holding her, reluctant to let go for fear that he was dreaming and would wake up to find that he was once again alone and unworthy of love as every woman in his past reminded him he was. She opened her eyes and lifted her head.

"You're a wonderful dancer," she murmured.

"So are you." He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it gently. "Would you like to have dinner with me again tomorrow?"

"Of course I would." She sighed. "Now I feel like Cinderella at the ball with my coach about to turn into a pumpkin and my dress to rags at midnight."

He giggled. "That wasn't quite how the story went but you needn't worry. You'll still be a princess after midnight. I on the other hand..." He waved his hand and his suit changed into a tuxedo. "Don't want to frighten the neighbors."

He escorted her outside to the BMW where Dove waited holding the rear passenger door open. As she was about to get in the car he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her softly but briefly on the lips. "Goodnight, Katherine."

"Goodnight, Robert..." she whispered.

He smiled at her and turned to walk back into the apartment building, thinking this was the first real date he'd been on that hadn't been interrupted by anyone and he hadn't felt as if he had to prove anything to the woman he was with, while on the drive home Kat replayed their kiss and their dance in her mind. It had been a most magical evening, and he had made her feel cherished and appreciated, despite the fact that she was no beauty, just a middle-aged paralegal with a fascination with magic and one sexy cooperate attorney. The feel of his lips against hers had made her feel desirable, the way she had never felt before with any man. As Robert had promised, she was still feeling like a princess long after the clock struck midnight. In her head she heard Sinatra crooning _"and I will love you all the way . . . all the way . . ."_ and she added, _all the way to our happy ending. I hope._

 **A/N: Thanks again to everyone who has supported this fic! We are happy you like it.**

 **So who enjoyed the trial scenes? Writing attorney Gold in action is always a fav-and who noticed something else about the couple in the case?**

 **Several reviewers have asked whether or not we will see Belle's reaction to the notice . . . and you will, it's coming up next chapter-along with some more romantic moments between Archie and Jeanna! Till next time, dearies!**


	6. New Loves

**~ New Loves ~**

Archie was standing outside his apartment building with his bags at his feet, hoping he'd packed everything he needed, checking his watch every few minutes. Jeanna was supposed to pick him up at five but she was running late. Part of him feared she'd changed her mind and was planning on spending the weekend with someone else, someone who was more like her.

Someone who wasn't from a fairy tale and still trying to find himself, he thought sadly. He picked up his bags and turned to walk back into the building when he heard tires screeching on the pavement and loud country music blaring on the stereo as Jeanna's red Dodge Ram came to an abrupt stop in front of the building. She rolled down the window. "C'mon, Doc git in!" she yelled out.

"Jeanna, will you please turn that down before someone calls the police?" he shouted back. She lowered the volume only slightly.

"Ah, live a little honey and toss your stuff in the back," she giggled.

What the hell have I gotten myself into? He shook his head and opened the passenger door and put his bags in the seat behind him. He could see several shopping bags on the seat behind Jeanna along with two fishing poles, a tackle box and an Igloo cooler on the floor. He climbed into the cab and fastened his seatbelt. She turned her head and her eyes swept over his new attire, nodding in appreciation.

"I'm gonna make a cowboy outta you yet Doc," she murmured, thinking how the jeans he was wearing fit him like a glove and was fighting back images of what was underneath them. She rolled up the windows and turned on the heat though the air conditioning was what she needed more at the moment. She turned the radio up and put the truck in drive, singing along with the Garth Brooks CD in the stereo.

"Six o clock on Friday evenin'

Momma doesn't know she's leavin'

'Til she hears the screen door slammin'

Rubber squealin', gears a-jammin'

Local country station just a blaring on the radio

Pick him up at seven and they're headin' to the rodeo

Momma's on the front porch screamin' out her warnin'

Girl you better get your red head

Back in bed before the mornin'!"

"Sorry I was late, Doc. One of my other clients showed up and was foaming at the mouth about his case, rather my lack of progress with it. Made progress with it all right, just not the kind he was expecting."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. He hired me to find out if his wife was cheating on him but it turns out he's the one doin' the cheating and with some callgirl in the Bronx. I had an idea he was, looked like the type so I tailed him a few nights ago and caught him coming outta her place at three in the morning. So when I told him he threw a fit, tried to take a shot at me and I had to have him hauled out of my office."

"Jeanna! He was going to shoot you?"

"No, tried to hit me but he got my boot in the balls first."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Maybe sending you into Storybrooke isn't such a good idea after all."

"I'm doing it, Doc and you're not talkin me outta it."

Jeanna's campsite was in Accord. She was looking forward to spending the weekend with Archie, taking him fishing and hiking and hoping she would finally be able to find the courage to tell him how she felt. He would be shocked for certain, believing a long-term relationship would be difficult due to them being complete opposites and she was bound and determined to prove him wrong. It was a two-hour drive to the campsite and they spent most of their time talking about Henry and all of the things the two of them had been able to do since arriving in New York. It wasn't much because they were still adjusting to 'life on the outside' as he put it.

"Henry's been here before so it was much easier for him than it was for me. I just feel like people in New York are always in a hurry, some of them drive like maniacs...and the crime rate is so high...I'm always worried every time I drop Henry off at school."

She reached across the seat and patted his hand. "You're never going to stop worrying. He's as much your son as he was those witches and Baelfire's. You and Baelfire have probably been more positive influences in his life than they were, you more of one because you spent the most time with him. I know, it was because his witch mother wanted you to but while other shrinks can't wait to get you out the door, you go that extra mile."

 _And that's what got me hooked, Doc,_ she thought.

They arrived at the campsite just before nine. Her RV was parked in its reserved sport and one of the other campers who was a carpenter had built a large porch around it with a roof. Since the site provided electricity, she had a refrigerator outside during the spring and summer months along with a swing, a picnic table, a grill, a Coleman stove, chairs and a TV set so that she could watch NASCAR and football and baseball games. There was also a makeshift windchime hanging above the porch with beer cans dangling from it and a small sign reading Redneck Windchime. There was also another sign on the door reading Trespassers Will Be Shot, Survivors Will Be Shot Again!

"Jeanna, where should I put everything in here?" Archie asked while he was carrying the cooler onto the porch. Pongo jumped out of the truck and began barking excitedly. "Pongo, sit," he commanded softly.

"In the fridge out here."

He opened it up and found several packs of hot dogs, ground beef, chicken and steaks inside along with condiments. He chuckled.

"We're only going to be here until Monday."

"I spend the weekends here so I needed to stock up," she said and they went inside the camper. There was a small bedroom, bathroom and living quarters. "You can use the bedroom. I'm going to sleep out here. The table turns into a bed."

"Jeanna, I can't take your room."

"Now don't you be gettin' stubborn with me, Doc. It's my place and if I wanna sleep out here, I will."

"All right," he sighed and carried his belongings into the bedroom. While he was unpacking, Jeanna started a fire out in the pit in front of the camper and hooked Pongo onto the cord they brought with them, spreading out a blanket for him to lie on and filling up his food and water dishes. The Dalmatian whined.

"Sorry buddy but you gotta stay on one around here or they throw a fit but there are a lot of places we can take you for your walks."

"Woof!"

She tuned the radio onto the local country station and set up the lawn chairs around the firepit, hoping her neighbors wouldn't decide to drop in as they usually did when she arrived. They would spend most of the night around the fire drinking, talking, roasting marshmallows and hot dogs and making mountain pies. There was also a group of them that played cards.

"How did you make the firepit?" he inquired curiously.

"An old bus tire rim," she answered. "There's a camp nor far from here where someone made an old school bus into his camper. One person's trash is another's treasure."

She got up and went over to the porch. "You want a Bud?"

"I'll get it."

"You just keep your cute behind in that chair. I'll bring it with me!"

He blushed.

She returned carrying two cans of Budweiser with what looked like soda can covers. He had just taken a sip of his and spit it out laughing when he read the label. "M...Mountain Spew...?"

Hers was a fake Sunkist label that read Skunkenpiss. "A few years ago I was at this campsite that didn't allow beer so one of the other campers bought these labels we could wrap around the cans making anyone who came to check think we were drinkin' soda. I never really got outta the habit of usin' em."

"You need to warn people not to drink first before they read them," he chuckled and sat back in his chair, feeling relaxed for the first time in months. Pongo moved closer to where he was sitting, keeping a watchful eye on his human and his new mate. A group of people were walking past the campsite and stopped. Pongo got up and ran over as far as his leash would allow him and started barking.

"Jeanna! Didn't know you were coming out this weekend," one of the men said. "You coming to play cards?"

"Not this weekend, Mike. Archie, that's Mike. His site's down the next lane and that's Mavis, Jack, and Ronnie. Guys, this is Archie Hopper."

"New boyfriend?" Mavis teased. "'Bout time you get back in the field."

Archie shook hands with the other campers. "It's a pleasure to meet you all."

Mavis smiled. "Honey, you have a nice voice," she cooed.

"Hands off, Mave unless you want 'em shot off," Jeanna growled.

Mavis laughed. "You gotta watch that temper of hers, Archie."

He laughed. "I'm getting used to it."

"Hey Jeanna, you need me to make a new welcome sign with his name on it for ya...and what's the dog's name?" asked Ronnie.

"Pongo," Archie replied.

"If you want, Ronnie."

"I'll have it for ya next week."

"Thanks, Ron."

"You didn't forget about the camp picnic tomorrow, did you, Jeanna?" Mavis demanded.

"No...but...I don't know if we're..."

"You better get your asses over there or we're gonna drag you! Besides, everybody's gonna want to meet this man of yours since you never brought any of the other ones out here."

Never wanted to, she thought.

"Jeanna, we don't want to be rude..." Archie reminded her.

"I just thought since you don't know anyone...you might be...uncomfortable..."

"How am I going to get to know them if we don't socialize with them?"

"Point taken."

"Do we need to bring anything?" Archie asked Mavis.

"Jeanna usually brings her steaks and chicken when she's the mood to cook or she goes down to the KFC and gets a couple of buckets to go."

Archie laughed. "She brought the steaks and chicken so I'll help her cook them."

"Okay, we'll see ya around four tomorrow." The group of campers continued down the lane. Jeanna groaned and shook her head.

"And here I wanted us to be alone this weekend!"

"We have plenty of time to be but like I said, we don't want to be rude either."

"Sometimes Doc, you're just too polite for your own good." She got up and took a pack of hot dogs out of the refrigerator along with two long roasting forks and handed one to Archie. The moment they stuck their forks with hot dogs into firepit, Pongo sat up and started begging.

"In a minute, Pongo!" he chuckled and fed one to the Dalmatian after he allowed it to cool down then called Henry on his cellphone. It was close to the teenager's bedtime and he would not have been able to get strong signal at the site had it not been for Robert magicking his phone.

"Are you having a good time, Archie?"

"Yes. We're sitting outside roasting hot dogs. It's quiet out here...except for the noise from the other campsites and the crickets. I think there's a whole family of them near Jeanna's campsite."

"Yeah and I never heard so many before," Jeanna added with a grin.

"Cool! They're following you. Remember? We didn't hear any the first night we were in New York but we heard them every night after that."

"Maybe. Are you having a good time at your grandfather's?"

"Yeah. He changed his mind and is gonna start teaching me and Kat magic tomorrow."

"That's good. Well, you get some sleep and I'll call you tomorrow."

"'Night, Archie. Tell Jeanna I said good night."

"I will."

It was after one in the morning when they decided to turn in for the night, both wanting plenty of rest since they had a full day planned with a trip to the lake in the morning and the camp picnic later in the afternoon. Several hours later Jeanna was awakened when Pongo jumped onto her bed and started barking frantically.

"What is it boy? Do you need to go out?"

The Dalmatian whined and craned his head toward Archie's closed bedroom door. Seconds later she could hear him crying out in his sleep, the sounds horribly familiar when she'd experienced them while she was dating an ex-Marine who had served in the Gulf War. She jumped out of bed and ran into the room.

"No...I won't tell anyone I swear, Regina...I'll do whatever you want..." he was chanting fearfully. "I don't remember anything...I was sleepy...I wouldn't have hurt you..."

YOU BITCH! Jeanna thought, seething with rage, realizing what this nightmare was about, only Regina wasn't the victim, Archie had been. As Pongo was about to jump onto the bed, she grabbed him and set him back down on the floor. "Archie, honey wake up!" she cried, calling his name several times before she was finally able to rouse him. She'd learned from living with Steve that trying to touch him while he was having a nightmare would cause him to lash out.

He sat up in bed, his body drenched with sweat and panting heavily.

"It's all right, honey. You're far away from that bitch," she soothed as she sat down beside him and stroked his back. "She can't hurt you anymore."

He moaned and buried his face in his hands. "Oh God...what did I say?"

"You were never gonna tell me, were you?"

"No!"

"Archie, you think this hasn't happened to other men? It does and not just by other men and not just in prison either. How did it happen?"

"It...was during the curse...around the time Regina put Henry in therapy. She invited me over to dinner...and I felt sorry for her..." He laughed harshly. "That's what I got for always wanting to help people. She plied me with alcohol, drugged me and took me to her bed, then claimed I took advantage of her. She told me that if I didn't treat Henry the way she wanted me to the pictures she took would be all over the front page...and I'd be ruined. I thought she would carry out her threat after that time I stood up to her...but she didn't. I bought that whole trying to change nonsense...again!"

"I want to roast that bitch on a spit."

"I have Henry...that's punishment enough."

 _Not for me it isn't, Doc._

"Do you...need anything? Your meds...?"

"I'm not taking any, Jeanna."

"You have PSTD and you're not on meds?"

"No. How...did you know...?"

"I was dating a guy named Steve about five years ago...he was an ex-Marine, served in the Gulf War...and he had nightmares constantly...among other things. He thought he could handle it on his own but I told him he couldn't...it was making him do things...and one night we got into one and he beat me up...bad enough to put me in the hospital. He told me he was sorry...and I begged him to get help but he wouldn't. One day I came home and found him in the living room...he shot himself!" she sobbed. "I kept telling people I haven't been serious about a man in a while because of my no account fiance but that wasn't why. I didn't wanna come home and find another one dead!" She gazed up at him through tear filled eyes. "You're always so busy runnin' around tryin' to help others you don't see you need it too and if I ever come home and find you dead it's gonna kill me!"

"Jeanna..."

"I love you," she sobbed. "Yeah...I know...we just started datin' but I've been goin' outta my mind tryin' to figure out how to tell you I have for months...even draggin' out the damn case so I could keep seein' you. I thought maybe you woulda figured it out when I asked you to dinner but then I heard that that pirate did...and now that I know what SHE did...explains why you kept me at a distance."

"Have you talked to anyone about Steve?"

"Just you and you're the only person I feel comfortable talking about it with, Doc."

He pulled her into his arms. "Jeanna, I'm not going to be like Steve...and I have been seeing someone...one of the other doctors at my practice but she doesn't feel, and I agree with her, that I can treat my condition with medication." He smiled. "Right now, this is the best therapy I can ask for." He kissed her gently. "I'm sorry...maybe I shouldn't have done that."

"I'm not complaining, Doc. I'm not complaining at all," she murmured and laid her head on his shoulder. "Been waiting a while for you to do it. Are you gonna be okay if I go back out front?"

Pongo jumped up on the bed and licked Archie's face. "I'll be fine. Pongo's been looking after me all this time and he knows if he can't calm me down on his own he's to go get Henry...or you now that he knows he can trust you."

"Woof!" Pongo barked in agreement.

He lay back down with the Dalmatian sleeping by his feet. Jeanna waited until his eyes were closed before she shut the bedroom door and returned to her own bed in the living area only it was more difficult for her to go back to sleep. As she had when she was living with Steve, she was on alert, ready to move at the first sign he was having another nightmare. She finally drifted off to sleep two hours later.

Archie awoke the next morning feeling more refreshed than he had in years. He and Pongo walked quietly through the RV, not wanting to wake Jeanna too early. He found a dry erase board on the refrigerator in the RV and wrote her a short note explaining that he was taking Pongo for a walk and would be back before breakfast. He missed the long walks the two of them used to take in the woods or around Storybrooke. He took out his phone and started making several recordings as he walked along the trails.

"What do you think, Pongo? About maybe getting our own site here or if Jeanna doesn't mind...we could share hers? Spend some weekends up here? I don't think Rumple would enjoy it but Henry will."

"Wooof!"

When he got back to the campsite Jeanna was already outside setting breakfast out on the picnic table.

"Did you have a nice walk, Doc?"

"Yes. I'm thinking about renting a site and bringing Henry up here...if he wants to. Rumple I don't think would be the camping type."

"No sense in you getting your own place when you can stay here," Jeanna argued. She set a plate down in front of him. "And you get to have your first country breakfast. Usually in Texas they eat a lot of Mexican food but my momma and daddy were from Georgia so we had this. Biscuits with sausage gravy, grits, hashbrowns, sunny side up eggs and bacon. If you can handle the spices in KFC you can handle this," she added with a smirk.

"You ate all of this for breakfast in the morning?"

"If Daddy left enough money for it, yeah. Most of the time all we had was grits."

The gravy was a bit spicier than he anticipated and the grits reminded him of the porridge that was the only breakfast he was lucky to get living with his parents who didn't enjoy cooking anything but he enjoyed it. They took another walk after breakfast, Jeanna led him around to other campsites and introduced him to her neighbors. He found them all to be very hospitable, something that he hadn't seen much in the section of the city he lived in.

They spent the rest of the afternoon getting everything ready for the camp picnic. Everyone gathered at Mavis and Jack's site and along with food brought from other campers, they also played games and held raffles. One game could be played by the adults and children. A plastic Easter egg was wrapped in layers of tape and each person got to tear off one piece of the tape. The person who tore off the final layer would keep the prize money inside. When Archie opened it up there was a twenty dollar bill inside. He handed it to the little girl sitting beside him who had been disappointed that she didn't win.

"Thanks!" she said with a smile.

It was after ten when they returned to her campsite. "I had wonderful time," Archie said to her as they stood in the doorway of the bedroom.

Jeanna smiled and kissed him. "You better get some sleep, Doc. Gonna be wakin' you bright and early to go out on the lake." It was only their second kiss but their relationship was moving forward at a pace that was comfortable enough for both of them. "Good night."

"Good night, Jeanna."

He slept peacefully that night for the first time since leaving Storybrooke. Jeanna awoke him at five AM on Sunday and they spent the rest of the day on the lake while Pongo stayed at Jack's campsite to play with their dog Buster. By the time they were ready to leave on Monday afternoon, Archie felt more relaxed than he had in years, attributing most of it to being with Jeanna. She reminded him of how much of life he'd missed out on during the curse and now that he was free of it he wanted to life to the fullest.

 **Page~*~*~*~Break**

Belle had just finished having hamburgers and iced tea with Hook at the diner because Will was off trying to figure out where he had buried some treasure on the beach. She walked out to where she had parked Rumple's Caddy, keys jingling in her pocket. Hook accompanied her. "You still driving that old clunker of the Crocodile's?"

"It runs nicely. He kept in good condition," Belle replied. "Why should I get a new car when this one is perfectly fine?"

"True." Hook grunted. "Better the car than the Crocodile. You're well shut of him. Just keep that dagger hidden like I showed ya. Well, see ya around, luv. Gotta meet Emma." He waved as she got into the Caddy and drove back to the shop. She had a lot of new ideas to rearrange the shop and get rid of some of the things Rumple had collected like a pack rat. Deadweight, just like he had been, she thought with a sigh. She wondered sometimes just what had become of him.

Both Will and Hook had advised her to quit thinking of him. To let it go. She was trying, but his indelible presence was all over this town. She started to unlock the shop when the mailman pulled up and handed her an official looking envelope. "I need your signature here, please, Mrs. Gold."

Puzzled, Belle signed for it. Then she took it into the shop, wondering who would have delivered something from New York. A law firm? What shady thing had Rumple been up to now?

But the letter was addressed to her. She found Rumple's replica dagger letter opener in a drawer and slit the paper, taking out several official looking documents on some legal stationary.

Belle peered at the letterhead. Arenberg, Cross and Whitman. This was a New York law firm she had never heard of. Her eyes slid to the body of the letter, expecting to see a law suit summons. What she DID see nearly caused her to have palpitations. She staggered back against the display case, rattling its contents.

 _Rumplestiltskin you BASTARD! You're evicting ME? From OUR house? The shop? MY library?!_

Her head swam. Surely this wasn't legal? She had thrown HIM out! He wasn't her landlord anymore! But as she read the notice again, a frission of fear crawled up her throat. Was it?

She shuffled through a second sheet, trying to make sense of the legal language that followed. It was like a foreign tongue. Was it even English? Then she found a document that read-Maine Bylaws Regarding Marriage. What in HELL was this?

 **The following individuals are authorized to perform marriages in Maine:**

 **Ordained ministers of the gospel  
A person licensed to preach by an association of ministers, religious seminary or ecclesiastical body Judges or justices (residents of Maine only)  
Lawyers admitted to the Maine Bar (residents of Maine only)  
Maine Notaries - Search for Maine Notaries by Location or Name  
Maine does not have Justices of the Peace. Out-of-state Notaries and Justices of the Peace cannot officiate weddings in Maine.**

Her face went pale and she clutched the case with a white-knuckled hand. No . . . this had to be a mistake. This was a lie. Rumple was trying to trick her with his doubletalk, like always.

Frantic, she ran into the office and booted up the new laptop she had recently purchased to fact check the document. But the proof was all there in black and white. They weren't legally married. Not even common law married.

 _Emma. I have to call Emma,_ her mind raced. _She can fix this._ Her fingers punched in the numbers woodenly. This couldn't be happening. It was fake. Like Rumple's promises to change and be a good man.

The phone rang and rang. Then the shop bell tinkled.

"Belle?" Emma called.

"I'm here, in the back room!" she called, feeling her legs wobble as she tried to stand. "Emma, you have to help me. Gold . . . that BEAST . . . he served me with these . . . and this says we aren't legally married! It's all a trick, right?" She babbled, shoving the papers at the sheriff.

Emma shook her head. Then she showed Belle a second set of papers. "Just got these a few minutes ago. That's an official seal of New York notary public. These are legal documents. Valid ones."

"No! They can't be!"

"I'm sorry, Belle. But these . . . it's the law." Emma said regretfully.

"What are you saying?" Belle asked weakly. "That I have to . . . to leave everything . . . but he's not even here . . ."

"Yeah but he's still the landlord and . . . he owns the property and leases," Emma explained. "It doesn't matter if he's not currently in residence. You have . . . thirty days before the lease expires to vacate the premises."

"Or what? What if I don't?" she demanded. "I'm not letting that . . . that Beast kick me out!" Belle shouted.

"Umm . . . then I'll have to forcibly remove you," Emma coughed.

"WHAT?"

"I'm sorry. But it's the law and . . . I have to uphold it."

Belle sank back into the chair in shock. "You . . . do?" She wanted to protest that the law hadn't been upheld before. Not with Hook. Why now?

"Yes. Or else . . . I could be arrested for non-compliance."

"But . . . how . . . where will I go?"

We'll figure something out," Emma said sympathetically. "Where's Will?"

"He's . . . at the beach. Looking for some treasure."

"Oh. Well, I hope he finds it."

Belle hoped so too. Because now she was out of a job, a house, and it seemed options. She stared woodenly at the black and white notice upon the desk, seeing her dreams become dust before her eyes. _Damn you, Rumplestiltskin! How could I have ever loved a Beast?_

 **Page~*~*~*Break**

Henry was having a wonderful time at his grandfather's home with him and Kat. She planned on spending Sunday evening at home alone until Henry insisted she come over to his grandfather's apartment. As soon as she arrived, Robert teleported the three of them to an abandoned warehouse he'd purchased earlier that week that he converted into a training center for his new apprentices.

"Unfortunately, I don't have access to most of the books I have my apprentices read during the early stages of their lessons but I've had to make do before." He gestured to several boxes sitting on the floor. "Some of these books are accurate in their descriptions of magic and how to perform it but true magic is emotion. You must always keep in mind the primary laws of magic whenever you cast. One: you cannot make anyone fall in love. Two: you cannot bring back the dead. It was done in my case but if you want to resurrect a soul, another must be willing to take its place and only dark mages take this path. Three: you cannot change the past. Changing the past creates ripples that can change the courses of our fates and those around us...sometimes not for the better as we have seen when Emma and Hook entered the time portal. Four: what you cast can be returned to you threefold. All magic requires a price, dearies and dark magic's prices can be devastating. This I know well. Take the mistakes I and others have made and commit them to memory, recall them when you feel yourself wanting to take the dark path."

"Kat, what we need to do with you is work with the parts of your mind that non-mages are not always aware that they can use. Some of them do...for abilities such as telepathy, telekinesis, clairvoyance and so on. Henry, we need to work on controlling your emotions. If you allow them to get beyond your control while using magic, you could harm someone."

"I understand, Grandpa."

"I'm ready to start when you are, Robert," Kat said softly.

"Why did you bring us here, Grandpa?"

"It gives us the privacy we need. Kat, I'm going to work with Henry today but I'd like you to listen and observe since I'll be explaining what we're doing and why."

Kat had always been an attentive student in school while most her classmates dozed off, passed notes, or daydreamed and magic was always a topic that fascinated her and though she knew learning it would be a long and difficult process she was up to the challenge, especially if it would help free Robert from his curse.

That first day, Robert worked with Henry to develop his telekinetic skills. They'd only seen him move small objects, now Robert wanted him to try his hand at moving items much larger and heavier.

"In time you will be able to do this without focusing too much on it."

"Grandpa, that table is twice my size and weighs more than I do."

"Exactly. But in your mind you must picture it as smaller...and weightless. Try it."

Henry closed his eyes and pictured the table in his mind, recalling his grandfather's instructions to treat it as a weightless object. Kat watched with wonder as the piece of furniture slowly lifted off the ground.

"He...he's doing it!" she gasped.

"Shhh...you'll break his concentration!" Robert whispered. "Well done, lad. Well done..."

Henry opened his eyes. The moment his concentration was broken the table crashed to the ground, two of the legs were broken. "Oh crap! I'm sorry, Grandpa!" he cried woefully.

"It's all right, Henry. Now here's your next lesson. I'm going to show you how to fix it."

"You are?"

"You can do it, Henry," Kat encouraged.

"Picture it in your mind, feel how much you want to repair it and make it happen." Robert instructed.

In his mind's eye, Henry could see the legs of the table moving back into their original positions, the splinters and breaks formed when it collapsed repairing themselves until the table looked brand new again. When he opened his eyes it was so. He was also overcome by exhaustion and sank into one of the chairs. Robert handed him a bottle of water from the refrigerator. The teenager drank it down feeling like he'd just swallowed a mouthful of sand and was sweating profusely.

"Is this gonna happen a lot?" he asked tiredly.

"It does when you are just starting to learn your gift, yes."

"Maybe we should stock up on the Red Bull and coffee," Kat joked.

"No, no. Never, under any circumstances, use any of those to regain your energy. The chemicals in them can be as rough on your system as a complex spell especially when they wear off. Just don't let me catch either of ye wi' them or ye'll be put through my disobedient apprentice regimen."

"What's that?"

"A day's worth of chores...and no' easy ones."

"Chores? What am I, a teenager?" Kat protested.

"If ye don't want t'be treated like one or a child ye'll mind me, won't ye?" he wagged a finger at her, his accent growing more pronounced.

"Robert...that accent..." Kat sighed dreamily.

Henry shook his head and chuckled. "You can kiss and whatever later!"

"Henry! Now, lad...back to your lessons. We're going to try teleporting this time."

"Okay."

"Teleporting is a mage's form of a portal, however it does not allow you to cross realms. Only portals and objects that can make portals have that ability. You can, however teleport yourself across long distances once your skills are more advanced. Now, try it."

Henry pictured himself back in his bedroom at his and Archie's apartment and vanished from the warehouse in a puff of grey smoke, reappearing seconds later in the bedroom, travelling to a place in seconds when it would have taken at least twenty minutes in a vehicle. As he was about to call his grandfather and reassure him he made the trip safely, the sorcerer appeared in the room with him, Kat at his side.

"Excellent, lad. Excellent!" he praised.

"It'll be a while before I can do that," Kat said ruefully.

"Don't sell yourself short, Kat. You can do it. I believe in you."

The truest believer, Rumple thought. "Doubt is a mage's worst enemy, Kat. Many of us have been brought down by doubt. Keep this in mind as well."

"I bet you had to have Regina do a lot of chores when she didn't listen, Grandpa."

"She was as difficult as her mother...and Zelena was no better once she became fixated on me." The sorcerer shivered. "Also, Regina...back then was a bit reluctant to learn magic at first but once she dedicated herself...she was more concerned with learning the dark magic."

"She said you were cruel to her."

"That wretch! I never raised a hand to her..or used magic against her during her training! It was simply another excuse she used to justify her own backslide into evil."

He took their hands in his and the three of them teleported back to the warehouse. "Now then Kat, are you ready for your first lesson?"

"I'm ready."

"Excellent. Now I want you to think of one of your favorite books. Picture it in your mind...recall some your favorite passages, feel it in your hands."

She closed her eyes, an image of the book Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in her mind, her favorite scene being the duel between Severus Snape and Gilderoy Lockhart, the false wizard and defense master, recalling how she'd wanted to jump for joy seeing Snape wipe the floor with the braggart, wishing she had an old-fashioned edition of the novel. In her hands she felt something heavy with leather binding and pages rustling.

"She's doing it, Grandpa!" Henry whispered excitedly.

"Hush, lad! You'll break her concentration!"

The book was surrounded by a faint blue light as the text she knew by heart appeared on the pages in typefaces used in the early nineteenth century. She opened her eyes and gasped in shock as she flipped through the pages and found that all of the text was there. "D...did I...I really do this?"

Rumple beamed with pride. "You certainly did, dearie."

She eyed him suspiciously. "You didn't help me at all?"

"No. Now I need you to look at me, gaze into my eyes, and tell me what you see, what you feel."

He had his suspicions that Kat was a strong empath but to test this theory he would allow her to try to sense what he was feeling, to see his aura, something he'd never done with any other apprentice before her. It required absolute trust on the part of the teacher and trust had never been easy for him when so many let him down but all those who disappointed him had been from his world. There were some from this world he couldn't trust as far as he could throw them either, fortunately Kat was not one of those people.

At first she could feel nothing but once she began to focus and blocked out everything else but the two of them, the light that surrounded him was a faint grey, a soul struggling to maintain the balance between darkness and light with the immense power he wielded. She could sense the demon's presence within him, feel its anger and frustration at its imprisonment. It longed as all dark forces did to be free to unleash their evil upon the world and destroy the light but it couldn't...not in this world. She could feel Robert's own frustration at being its prisoner, his own longing for freedom to be the man he once was before he'd taken such a dark burden. Then his thoughts drifted back to his childhood and tears brimmed in the corners of her eyes when she heard his child's voice crying out in her mind, asking himself what was wrong with him that made his papa want to give him up and then to the day when his own son died, the anger and the despair washing over her like tidal waves, feeling every ounce of pain as if it were her own. She sank to her knees, sobbing brokenly, her arms reaching for him.

"So much pain...so much pain..." she moaned and drew him into her embrace. "I see it...I can feel it like it is my own."

"Grandpa...why did you do that?" Henry asked worriedly.

"To confirm what I already suspected," he murmured. "You have the strongest aura I have ever sensed Kat, and also will be a very powerful empath once you learn to control it. Some empaths have gone mad having so many emotions projected onto them without distancing themselves when necessary or they have driven others mad by projecting their emotions onto them."

She brushed tears from the corners of her eyes. "I can handle this, Robert."

"I believe you can but I needed to prepare you for what you will face now that you are learning how to use the gifts you've been given." He took her hand and helped her to her feet. She was a bit unsteady and he led her over to the sofa to sit down and recover some of her strength. The early days of a mage's training were always exhausting, even more so for those not born with the gift.

They spent the rest of the afternoon learning simple spells though Kat had a more difficult time getting hers to work correctly, one of the spells she'd been asked to cast was changing the color of Robert's Armani suit. Her concentration was broken for a second, long enough to make the suit look like it had been thrown into a washing machine with bleach.

"You shoulda wore casual clothes, Grandpa," Henry giggled.

"Next time I will," Robert said and waved his hand over his suit, changing it into a magenta pullover with jeans. "Never allow your concentration to lapse even for a second when casting spells, dearie," he advised Kat with a smirk. "Or else ye might be getting a sight ye're not quite ready for yet...or I will."

She was flustered for a moment. "Oh! Has...has that...happened?"

"To me, yes. I...ahhh...had disguised myself to go into town on an errand once and had a bit too much ale in a tavern and suddenly I was sitting there in my drawers. Rather embarrassing for a man with my reputation. Of course I made them all forget it afterwards."

"It's worse than dreaming you're in school in your underwear!" Henry chuckled.

"I won't be making that mistake again...unless I accidentally conjure up that leather outfit," Kat teased.

"I wouldn't mind that at all, dearie."

Later that night when Kat returned home, she was too excited to sleep and eager to practice her newfound abilities. Robert wanted to take her out to dinner on Monday night since Henry would be at Archie's and she wanted to look her best. As she was walking down the street that morning, she spotted the dress in a shop window that she thought would be perfect for the evening though the price was more than she could afford even working as a paralegal. It was a peacock blue silk shantung A-line evening dress with a sweetheart neckline, ruffled shoulder straps with scattered beading, a crisscross pleated bodice with an inverted Basque waistline. There was also a matching shawl. She took a picture of it in the shop window with her phone and several hours before Robert was supposed to pick her up, she stood in front of her mirror, the image she'd taken from her phone implanted in her mind as she cast her spell. When she opened her eyes, she was wearing an exact replica of the dress but she was also exhausted.

"I...I did it!" she gasped.

 _Well done, dearie. I cannot wait to see it, she heard Robert's voice in her head._

 _Robert?_

Seconds later her phone rang.

"Did I startle you?" he asked.

"Did...I...did I just hear you in my mind...or was I imagining things?"

"You're not. Another skill an empath has is establishing a telepathic link to someone close to them. And I always establish such a link with my pupils."

"I wanted to surprise you," she said ruefully.

He giggled mischievously. "I didn't peek...though I wanted to."

"Oh, you...you..."

"I'm waiting..." he singsonged.

"Oh, I'm too tired to think of one right now...but I will."

"I eagerly await that comeback. Now get some rest, dearie. Don't want you passing out during dinner."

"I don't intent to. I'll see you later, Robert."

Robert knocked on her door at five PM, a single rose in his hand. When she opened it he was shocked into silence by how beautiful she was in her new gown, a gown she'd created herself using her budding magic. He couldn't have been more proud of her. He didn't mind if his apprentices sometimes used their magic for spells like those but Regina, Zelena, and Cora were always using magic to feed their vanity and the outfits they created were better suited for harlots.

"You look wonderful," he said softly, handing her the rose.

"Thank you, Robert."

He linked his arm through hers and led her out to the car. He made reservations for them at Circo, one of the most elegant restaurants in New York City, reserving one of the private dining rooms so that they could enjoy their dinner in peace. When they stepped through the doors, Kat felt as if she stepped inside an old European circus tent and indeed there was a trapeze hanging on the ceiling as well as several circus tent segments along with some steel sculptures and photographs and posters with a circus flair along the walls.

"How is your novel coming along?" he asked her while they waited for their dinner.

"I...ahhh...haven't been working on it lately."

"Don't let learning magic keep you from it, dearie. It was your first calling after all and I'd like to read it one of these days."

"Oh...ummm...well...it has a bit of romance in it and..."

"Most novels do...as long as its not the Fifty Shades of Shite...I don't mind a wee bit of romance when I read...if it is crucial to the plot."

"That's what I do."

"Then would you mind printing out a copy for me?"

"I...I'd love to...but please be honest with me when you review it," she begged.

He wouldn't insult her intelligence being otherwise.

Their dinner arrived a short time later. They both ordered the Pollo 'Al Mattone' which was brick pressed chicken, onions, spinach and roasted potatoes with broccoli rabe and strawberry rhubarb compote for dessert.

"I have surprise for you after dinner," he said softly.

"Oh? What is it?"

"Now if I tell you, it'll ruin the surprise and no tryin' t'read my emotions to find out what it is," he teased.

"I wouldn't do that unless you want me to."

She assumed they would go back to his apartment or hers but to her surprise, he drove them to Central Park. Kat sometimes went for walks there but she'd always dreamed of one day taking a carriage ride through the park with her dream man at her side. When they were walking, Robert pulled a ticket out of his jacket and handed it to her as they walked to the corner of 59th Street and 6th Avenue.

"Robert...you...how did you know...?" she gasped.

"I've been told taking a carriage ride through Central Park is something many couples enjoy despite the controversy surrounding it lately but I've contacted a private driver and he only does short trips around the park."

"You are the wonderful man I've ever met!" she sobbed joyfully and threw her arms around him.

 _And your wife was a fool to let you go,_ she thought.

"Your carriage awaits, sweetheart."

He led her to a white carriage with a red canvas cover and matching red leather seats drawn by a beautiful, well cared for white horse named Snowflake. The driver, a sandy blond haired man in his late thirties waited beside the coach, smiling broadly. "Good evening Mr. Gold, Miss Fiochetta. Hop aboard!" he greeted in an Irish accent.

"Thank you, Andrew."

She felt like a queen when Robert helped her into the horse drawn carriage and sat beside her with his arm around her shoulders. He didn't have much of an opportunity to sightsee in New York City and wished he had with Bae when they came to find him.

Sensing he was thinking of his son and the many missed opportunities they had, Kat reached for his hand and squeezed it gently. "Never forget he is up in Heaven watching over you," she reminded him. "And you still have Henry. Do his father proud by spending as much time with him as you can."

"I intend to. I know...this isn't what you want to deal with after we had such a perfect evening."

"Robert..."

"Bobby," he corrected.

"Hmmm?"

"Everyone at the office calls me Bobby. I rather like it."

"So do I...but sometimes...I'd like to call you by your real name too," she whispered.

"When we're alone."

"Bobby, you've been forced to bury your feelings for so long to please someone else. Never do that with me."

"I couldn't now even if I tried but I don't want to bring you down."

"You won't."

"Everyone I've ever loved...I've driven them away."

"No...they walked away...or were taken away," she argued. "It's going to take some time for you to see that but someday you will."

He allowed himself to relax and enjoy himself as Kat and Andrew pointed out many of the landmarks they passed, giving brief explanations of what they were. The park was not as crowded that time of the evening. He took several pictures and videos with his phone to show to Henry during his weekend visit and even planned to bring his grandson on one of those rides, thinking he would enjoy it as well. He'd only reserved the carriage for twenty minutes but it was one of the best moments of his life since leaving Storybrooke and he attributed it to the woman sitting beside him. After the ride they took a brief walk around the park. Kat hadn't wanted to go too far, concerned that it would be difficult for Robert with his leg. He assured her he was fine and lifted his leg to show her the brace one of their colleagues suggested he buy to help him walk longer distances with little discomfort.

"I used magic to placate it in Storybrooke but I'm assuming it was some form of dark magic because it no longer works here," he said. "I would prefer to be as I am now...to remind me of why I took such a terrible burden to begin with."

"...You did it for me, Papa." they heard a faint voice say softly.

The couple froze.

"Bobby! Was that...?"

Robert turned around, his brown eyes filled with tears at the sight that met his eyes.

"Bae..." he croaked.

 **A/N: well . . . how was that for a surprise ending?! Love ya, dearies! Because a Rumple story's not complete unless Bae's in it.**


	7. Baelfire's Return

**~ Baelfire's Return ~**

"Bae...what...how...?" Robert reached out to touch his son's shoulder but his hand felt nothing but air. "You've been here all this time?"

Bae shook his head. "I couldn't come to you before though I wanted to. It killed me to see what was happening to you. I begged Them to let me see you...maybe if I had..."

"It wouldn't have changed what happened, son." his father said sadly. "I understand that now. The life I had before is gone. I cannot go back to it. I don't want to anymore. Not without you or Henry. I'm making a fresh start, just not the one I originally intended to."

"I know." Bae smiled at Kat.

Watching his father being cast out of the town, possibly penniless and alone had been devastating but what was even more difficult to see was his father not having anyone to console him in his grief and his son being cast aside by his own mothers in favor of their flavors of the month. It had taken him some time but eventually Bae, like his son, realized that neither Hook nor Regina had changed and Emma's behavior shocked him. That wasn't the girl he knew and fell in love with.

"Maybe we should go back to your place, Papa. Don't want them to lock you up for talking to air. I'll wait for you."

He vanished.

"What if he doesn't come back," Rumple said worriedly. "There's so much more I want to say..."

"He'll be there."

Robert was anxious during the drive back to his apartment, fearing Kat was wrong and his son will have vanished again, another painful reminder of his devastating loss, the only hole in his heart that no amount of love could ever fill.

When they returned to the apartment Bae was standing in front of the coffee table glancing down at a recent photograph Rumple had taken of himself and Henry, unable to express the pain he felt in his heart at what he was feeling through tears for tears could not fall from ghostly eyes.

"Bae..."

"When I spoke to my guardian...he said that the curse you bear is powerful enough that it can exert its influence in the realms of the living and the dead. The demon knew that if I could come to you, I could free you of the pain and guilt you felt. Your pain, your suffering gives it its strength. It wanted you to keep being that desperate soul so that you would make wrong choices and sink deeper into despair."

"...So that he would lose himself completely and surrender to it fully," Kat finished.

Bae nodded sadly.

"Had I done that...no one would have been safe. I would not have been able to contain it without my humanity. Eventually the parasite outgrows or kills its host."

"Papa, I just don't understand. Belle told me in the Dark Castle that she loved all of you, even the dark parts. Her actions contradict that. Didn't you always tell me that sometimes your greatest weakness is what you love the most? That gauntlet may have showed her where the dagger was but it wasn't your greatest weakness. It was the fear of losing the woman you loved."

"Yes. And what I don't understand is why she took the word of a damned enchanted candle instead of actually reading the texts she was looking for. She would have known then that resurrecting me required a sacrifice to be made but it wasn't just any life that was required. It was the life of the person I loved the most. Just like the Dark Curse."

"And that was why you couldn't cast it."

"No. I created that curse to find you but I knew I could find someone with as much if not more darkness in their hearts to do it for me and Regina performed to expectations. Zelena, though she denied it, never would have been able to cast the curse because in her warped mind she believed she loved me. Loved me!" he snarled.

"I should have known we were being conned when he showed us the book with just the key in it...no other explanations. He even knew where the damned vault was, claiming he'd lived in the library for centuries right as I was opening the vault. Neither of us questioned it until it was already too late. And...I was desperate...I wanted to get back to Henry and I knew you were the only one who could help me..."

"All magic comes with a price, son," Robert wept. "But it was not yours to pay...it was HERS!"

"Bobby-Zelena cheated the laws of magic," Kat realized. "Her sacrifice of Bae, it was not willing, he was tricked. And doesn't the law say-a sacrifice must be performed by one who knows what is being sacrificed? When Regina sacrificed her father, she did so willingly, and he basically allowed her, Bae didn't even know there was a sacrifice required!"

"Is that why I was allowed to see Papa now?"

"Well . . . I would assume there are rules about it . . .and maybe the rules were relaxed because you died as a result of a trick? I really don't know for sure. Maybe you could ask Them when you see Them again?"

"Kat is right. Your soul was in torment and that was why you were allowed to return, Bae. It may only be for a little while...but it's more than I could've hoped for."

"But I don't want it to be for a little while. I know I can't come back to the living...but I want to be able to see you...whenever I can."

Robert smiled impishly. "Then you should make a deal with Them."

Kat laughed. "Because there are some that can be dealt with. They did create the laws after all-and every good lawyer and lawmaker leaves loopholes."

"Spoken like a paralegal, dearie."

"I understand how lawyers think . . .and why," she returned.

"And Papa is the king of loopholes. What do you suggest I bargain for, Papa?"

"First you must remind them that Zelena broke the laws herself. You always bargain from a position of strength and knowledge, right Rumple?" Kat instructed.

"Indeed. But since she is already dead, you cannot offer her soul in exchange."

"Are you sure about that, Bobby?" Kat queried.

"Yes, dearie. I didn't just stab her with my dagger, I summoned her bloody amulet to me and threw it in Cauldron of Unmaking. The amulet was her tie to her magic, without it she could not resurrect herself and her death was final. I'd wager she's now in hell with the demons, am I right, Bae?"

Bae nodded. "Yes. Her soul was judged and found to be without remorse and she was sent where she belongs . . . with no chance of ever being reborn. Those who sacrifice the newly born without remorse and attempt to chang time are denied that for all eternity. And Their Opposite insisted. My superiors told me that as soon as I arrived. So you can rest easy, Papa."

"You can, however, tell them that you do not want to be resurrected as I was, since the price of such a thing would be to exchange your life for one of your kin, instead you only want to come and visit your loved ones, watch over them as your guardian watches over you."

"Become a guardian myself."

Robert nodded. "My conscience as it were."

"That may work," Kat nodded eagerly. "Another thing. You might want to mention that They or Their Opposites-have become lax when it comes to administering justice for those who break magic's laws. Because I believe the Charmings also broke the laws when Snow gave them a false sacrifice-she brought Charming back from the dead and didn't sacrifice him fully, two things which are forbidden. Shouldn't something be done about that? Why are they allowed to break the laws when you weren't?"

Robert started laughing. "It's a damn good thing, dearie, that YOU aren't a Power. No one would be able to get away with anything!"

"Well, I know when people are trying to play fast and loose with the rules. Comes from being a paralegal and seeing it everyday."

"Papa, I want this to work...I need to be near you and Henry somehow."

"You will be. They cannot be that unmerciful once you present your evidence and They can verify it by examining their souls."

"I have my own debt to pay, Papa...to you."

"What? Bae-you don't owe me anything-"

"You traded your soul to save me. Twice. That is the debt I have to pay."

"He's right, Rob," Kat agreed softly. "Then the scales will balance."

She put a finger to her lips. "And I have a sneaky feeling that's what They are all about-the Balance of Power between Dark and Light."

"And when I break this curse...it will disrupt the Balance again."

"You're going to do it, Papa? Do you know how?"

"In favor of Good," Kat muttered. "So then Evil must have its chance to choose another Dark One."

"I thought I did but there was something missing the first time. That is why we need to get back into Storybrooke. The answers are in my shop."

More specifically, the answer was in the Shadow Scrolls, the tomes devoted to the darkest magic in all the realms.

The Scrolls had been in the Vault of Dangerous Things . . .and had come over when the second curse was cast for some reason. Then again, things like that happened the first time too. Belle didn't even know about many of those things-as a non magician she wasn't privy to magic's secrets. Because some things were too dangerous for the uninitiated to have.

He suspected she never would have found the gauntlet either without help-Henry's help. Magic called to magic, and Belle had never understood that.

In the wrong hands its visions could be open for misinterpretation. Yes, it did lead her to the dagger, but what she hadn't understood was that it led her to it because it was HER weakness, not his.

She allowed it to define the course of their relationship from the moment it was placed in her hands.

She had convinced herself that she was only acting in his best interests when she wielded its power over him but in truth, it was a cleverly baited trap that exposed her own fault...she, a self proclaimed hero was as capable of being a villain as any other human being when faced with temptation.

She had allowed the serpent to enter her garden and plant the seed that bore the poisoned fruit she'd eaten in earnest to maintain her facade and the road to darkness was paved under the guise of the best intentions especially to the non-magic people trying to understand the magic of a thing as old as time itself. The magicborn were taught to look at a thing and recognize the danger inherent in even the smallest most innocent of objects. They were taught to be aware of pitfalls the uninitiated were not. Putting a dangerous magical object in the hands of an ordinary person was like handing a loaded gun to a toddler. Sooner or later someone was bound to get shot.

For months the ceremonial bullets fired from that gun had been buried deep in his heart until he found the two people who would help him heal...his last link with his precious son and a stranger willing to take on such a difficult task with an open mind and an open heart.

"You're going to send in that PI Archie hired to find you. I almost feel sorry for Storybrooke when she shows up. She's a fireball!" Bae chuckled. "I dunno how she and Archie even work. They're like night and day."

"They manage it," Robert murmured.

"One thing's for certain, I owe that man a debt too for getting Henry the hell away from Regina and Emma now that I know what's been going on with them. As for Hook, I should have remembered everything he did to you, to us, even before you were cursed. That bastard sold me out to Pan and brought other kids to him, kids he made into his slaves!"

"Children who would have died if they had the heart he was looking for," Robert said gravely.

"He doesn't love Emma. He can't...not the way he is," Kat added.

"I thought he changed, Papa, but he had me fooled. But not you. Never you."

"No. The curse allows me to see the true nature of others but blinds me to the darkness in someone close to me...until it's too late."

"And I misjudged you...I held onto to my hatred of you, thinking you abandoned me for so long that I didn't consider the possibility that the curse, the demon refused to let you come with me, manipulated and twisted you."

"If we succeed the demon will not be able to hurt us anymore."

"Not if, Papa. You will. I believe you will." Bae's expression was melancholy. "I have to go, Papa, but I will be back and hopefully the Powers will listen to me."

"They have to, Bae. All the evidence weighs in your favor," Kat assured him.

"I'll be back, Papa. Always remember, I love you," Bae called out before he vanished.

Robert sat down on the sofa, still trying to process everything that happened, trying to reconcile himself with the fact that it was not a dream and his son had finally come to him as he'd wanted him to so many times before, this time with a better grasp on the struggle Robert had with his curse. He glanced over at Kat, a small smile on his lips, never more proud of her as he was at that moment. Her solution to his son's dilemma was excellent, if it worked.

"Why hasn't anyone else snatched you up before?" he mused aloud.

She was an attractive, highly intelligent woman, an asset to any man in a relationship, whether it be personal or professional but even before they started talking to each other he noticed that she didn't have someone calling her at the office, sending her flowers, the things a man did when he was courting a woman, at least one who behaved like a gentleman.

"Because I'm not the kind of woman a man wants as their wife," she said sadly. "I'm not glamorous enough, with a sixteen inch waist and 5'10 with legs that go on for miles and my hair is this frizzy mop. I'm shocked that you'd even look twice at me, Rob, when I think both your wives were prettier than I am. I'm no lady in a fairytale."

"Dearie, I've been married to a fairy tale...and it cost me greatly. And I'm not glamorous either with this lame leg, greys in my hair that sometimes I can't keep straight, centuries old wrinkles, and a heart plagued with darkness. Though my wives were beautiful, they were not looking for someone like me. One of them chose a pirate...the other...she wants a man from her books and that I can never be. This time...I want someone who is beautiful on the inside as well as out...and _that_ is what you are to me."

"You are the first man to ever really _see_ me. The others-they looked but they never _saw_. My only boyfriend in college-turned out to be a drunk slob who wanted me to do drugs, drink, and sleep with him and when I refused, because I have standards, dammit, he got nasty. Called me all sorts of names and everything. But when it was over . . .no other man looked at me again. Until you."

"They were fools who thought with what was between their legs and not their brains." His eyes narrowed. "How nasty did he get, dearie? Shall I hex him?"

"You would, wouldn't you? He . . .pushed me up against a wall. That was when I grabbed my coffee pot and beat him over the head with it. Drunk as he was, he probably never felt it. I told him I was gonna call the police and have his ass arrested too . . .after my cousin Vinnie got through breaking both his legs and arms. He got kicked off campus for drunk and disorderly conduct later and I never saw him again."

"Good for you! You were fortunate that he was not sober or..." He didn't want to think about it. "I would still hex him but I believe he is killing himself slowly with what he's putting in his body."

"Yes, I think so. And I know I was lucky. So many other women aren't. I took a few self-defense classes after that. And I carry this." She showed him a mini bottle of Mace on her keyring.

He giggled impishly.

"Once someone who worked for the firm made a pass at me-tried to grab my breasts and I . . .umm . . .I kicked him really hard in the family jewels. And I told him that if he wanted to be able to enjoy whores ever again he'd better keep his hands to himself. I'm surprised you never heard that story around the office. He was fired of course."

"No I did not but his hands would have been cut off!"

She stared at him. "Chivalry isn't dead with you, is it?"

"Considering where I am from...never," he said firmly.

"You know, some people would consider that old fashioned . . .but I like the idea of someone who cares enough to want to protect me. And I would do the same for you."

"I may be cursed but I am man enough that I would never raise a hand to a woman no matter how angry I am. The spinsters I was raised by taught me to respect women."

"And was that so . . .unusual where you were from? Or was it like it was here . . . where men though it was their right to beat obedience and whatever into their wives in medieval times?"

"Oh, aye. And they did beat them...too often for my taste."

She shuddered. "And their kids and servants too, I'll bet."

He nodded. "Bae can tell you I didn't beat him either, only a spanking when needed."

"I could never see you beat a child, Rob. And I'd wager that spanking hurt you more than him."

"It did and sometimes my boy learned his lesson."

"Only sometimes?" she arched an eyebrow at him. "Poor you!" She picked up his hand and hugged it to her. "I hope you didn't wear out your hand."

"No, just got a few more of these." He held up a lock of his hair.

Suddenly she slid a hand into his hair and began to card it. "I love your hair . . .it's so silky . . .and the silver makes you look distinguished."

"Are ye sure it doesn't make me a wee bit too long in the tooth, dearie?" he quipped.

He couldn't remember Belle ever touching his hair, or even saying that she liked it, adding to his anxiety that he had been too old and not good enough for her.

"Oh no! Your hair is . . . wonderful. I'm afraid I . . . had fantasies of running my hands through your hair when I first saw you, Mr. Gold," she admitted guiltily. "I have a thing for hair. I love to play with it. And for men who talk in sexy Scottish accents."

She sighed dreamily and her hands continued to play with his hair, curling strands about her fingers and smoothing and stroking it.

"Do ye now? An' what else d'ye fancy, lassie?"

She groaned. "Rob, my God! Your voice . . . it's like rich chocolate. A lady could just drown in it. I could listen to you read me the phone book."

"T'phone book? I would call that a rather boring conversation. Would ye mind me readin' Robert Frost instead?"

"Oh please! And I bet you sing incredibly too."

"Well...ahhh...just a bit..."

"Maybe . . . sometime . . .you'd sing for me?" she purred. "I can't sing a note . . . I'd scare frogs away."

"Mayhap...if the mood strikes me," he teased. "I'm no' all that comfortable doing certain things in public, ye ken?"

"Aye, an' it wouldna be public," she said in her best imitation of a Scottish lass. "Just for me."

He giggled. "No' bad, dearie. I was worried my accent would be a bit hard to follow."

He wrapped his arms around her waist. "Mayhap I'll sing to ye in my castle with its grand ballroom and dance ye til yer feet can't touch the ground."

And once his curse was broken, there would be no room in his castle for darkness, only light.

"That would be incredible! As for your accent, I grew up hearing broken English from my nana and my uncles and aunts from Italy." She leaned her head on his shoulder. Then she tilted her head up and smiled winsomely at him before quoting, "My love is like a red red rose . . .that is newly sprung in June, o my love is like a melody sweetly played in tune."

"As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,

So deep in luve am I:

And I will luve thee still, my dear,

Till a' the seas gang dry..."

Her eyes sparkled in delight. "You know Robbie Burns?"

"What though on hamely fare we dine,

Wear hoddin grey, an' a' that?

Gie fools their silks, and knaves their wine,

A man's a man for a' that..."

For a' that, an' a' that,

Their tinsel show, an' a' that,

The honest man, tho' e'er sae poor,

Is king o' men for a' that.

Aye. His poems speak to me in a way. How I feel, what I think. I read them often when I'm alone."

"I love reading them." She said. "He speaks to me too. Am I truly your bonny lass, Rob?"

"Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear,

And the rocks melt wi' the sun:

I will luve thee still, my dear,

While the sands o' life shall run..."

He gazed into her eyes as he spoke those words, feeling them with all of his heart, including the dark parts.

She snuggled into him. A man who could quote romantic Scottish poetry with the accent and who thought her bonny-who treated her like a person who mattered-and who made her mouth go dry in longing-who loved her-plain ordinary Kat-what more could a girl ask for?

What more could a cursed sorcerer ask for than a woman who embraced all that he was and was willing to go one step further and help him relieve himself of the burden that had been his alone to carry for so many centuries?

Her hands cupped his face. "I love you, Rumple. All of you, dark and bright, for all of the days of my life. And I have never said that to any man before." Then she kissed him, the way she had always dreamed of kissing a man.

He surrendered himself completely to her kiss and returned it with equal fervor, rejoicing when he could feel the demon inside him being pushed back even further, the doubts and insecurities it often voiced with any other woman silenced.

At first she feared she had been too forward and had pushed him too soon too fast, but the way he was kissing her-Holy Mother of God-told her otherwise. And she drowned in the sensations he conjured.

He was the most powerful sorcerer in the realms but the magic he created came not from spells and incantations but his own hopeful heart.

And now that heart had found its home-in the most unlikely place of all, where he had least expected.

She quivered as her own dormant magic roused, coaxed awake by the flame of true love and passion, and a fiery heat swept through her like an inferno.

"My God . . . Rumple, what is this?"

"True love..." he whispered.

"Is this . . . how it feels for everyone?" she asked in wonder.

"I don't know...I don't think...it does," he confessed.

"But . . . haven't you ever felt it?"

"I thought I did...with Belle...but now I see...that it was another illusion I made for myself," he answered honestly.

"But not now," it was not a question, but a statement, for she could tell that what he felt was there in his eyes for her to see, and most of all FEEL through his hands as he held her close and tears shimmered in her eyes from the sheer beauty of it.

He reached up and gently brushed the tears from her eyes with his fingertips.

She shut her eyes, savoring his touch, wishing she could feel this way forever. She felt like a flower kissed by the sun, who had bloomed unexpectedly.

Like his red red rose newly sprung in June.

And he would love her until the seas ran dry.

 **Page~*~*~*~Break**

Just as he pulled into the school's parking lot to pick Henry up on Monday afternoon, Archie's phone rang, startling the therapist. He glanced down at the display seeing that it wasn't Jeanna's number but Robert's.

"Archie, can you bring Henry and Jeanna over to the apartment this afternoon? I know...you have custody of him today but there's something important that I need to discuss with all of you."

"Rumple, I don't have a problem with you seeing your grandson any other day of the week. He'll be happy to come over but I don't know what Jeanna's up to. Hopefully down at the police station filing an attempted assault charge against a former client," he muttered.

"What? Did someone try to hurt her?"

"Yes but his privates paid the price."

The sorcerer giggled then cringed. "Remember then not to piss her off, cricket, or ye'll be gettin a bit o'the same."

"Oh gods, don't remind me. We'll be there in a bit."

Henry was more than happy to go see his grandfather but he was curious as to what Robert wanted to talk to all of them about and so was Jeanna when they stopped at her office to pick her up. When they arrived Kat was already at the apartment and made dinner for all of them but once dinner was over Robert led them all into the living room. He wasn't quite sure how to break the news to them but he hadn't needed to. Bae appeared before them just as his father was about to speak.

"D...Dad!" Henry gasped. "Grandpa... tell me I'm not imagining it. Tell me you see him too?"

Archie took off his glasses thinking it was time to have his eyes checked.

Jeanna dropped the glass of wine she was holding. "Oh my God...Doc...I only had one glass and now I'm seeing ghosts!"

"Rumple..." Archie stammered.

"Henry," Bae said hoarsely. "You're not imagining it. I'm here, buddy."

Robert reached for his grandson and hugged him. "He is why I asked you all to come here. He...he appeared last night."

Henry moved toward his father and tried to embrace him only his arms went through him. "I've wanted to see you all this time and now that I can...I can't even hug you!" he sobbed.

"I know, Henry...and it's as hard for me as it is for you...but one of these days I'll be able to...only if it's just for a little while. I don't care. It will be enough."

"Can you come back...like Grandpa?"

Bae shook his head regretfully. "Too many of the sacred laws have been broken for me to come back, Henry. The price would be to exchange my life for one of my blood. I refuse to do that. But...your grandpa and Kat helped me find a few loopholes that I could use to bargain with the Powers."

"For what?"

"To be able to watch over you and Grandpa for the rest of your lives. And I had a debt to pay to your grandpa, Henry. Twice he gave his soul to save me. Somehow in all my anger I forgot that."

"And you gave your life...to try to find me..."

"Bae, what did They say to you?" Kat inquired gently.

"You would've been proud of me, Papa. I went in there armed with everything I knew and laid it all out for Them though I was scared as hell one of Them was going to blast me into the void when I reminded Them of how lax they'd been with the rules recently. They've assured me that all the debts are going to be settled but They did put one stipulation on me."

"Which was what?"

"If you fail to break your curse within ten days I can't come back...in any way."

"I am NOT going to fail!" his father said determinedly.

"So lemme get this straight...you're here to watch over your daddy and your son...so why can I see you? Why can Archie and Kat see you?" Jeanna quizzed.

"I'm only visible to people from our world...or those close to people from our world."

"So the Powers accepted your offer and you can see Henry anytime you want?"

"Yes, Archie, but not always in physical form. I'm still working on getting Them to change Their minds about that one because it hurts to not be able to interact with my son...and my father!"

"Perhaps when I break my curse that will be the leverage you will need to make them amend that portion of the deal," Robert mused aloud.

"How are you going to do it, Grandpa?"

"We need the Shadow Scrolls...and that's where you come in, Jeanna."

"You ready to send me into that one horse town?"

"Yes. I was going to wait until I had a bit more time to train Henry and Kat but...there is too much at stake now to delay any further."

Kat raised his hand to her lips and kissed it. "We're ready, Bobby. We can do this. Together."

"I'm ready, Grandpa."

"Jeanna? Archie?"

"I'm ready to git 'er done. Are you, Doc?"

"Yes."

Bae laughed. "I don't think Storybrooke is going to be ready for her."

"Oh...they're not even gonna see me comin'. I used to sneak in and outta places faster 'n some people could blink."

Archie and Jeanna excused themselves to go out for a walk so that Henry could spend some much needed time with his father. It was difficult for Bae to be able to interact with inanimate objects but not his own flesh and blood. Like his father, he was hoping the breaking of the dagger curse would be the leverage he needed against the Powers to grant him the ability to appear in physical form. He hadn't told them everything about his discussion with Them, some of what he learned he wasn't ready for his son to know yet.

"Dad...do you know...what's been going on with Emma and Regina...with all of them?"

"I saw it, Henry. That's what makes it even more painful for me. And I never should have trusted Hook. The only reason why he changed was so that he could move in on Emma, just like he did my mother...and HE is the reason why I stayed in Neverland amongst the Lost Boys. He sold me out to Pan to save his own skin...along with every other boy who lived there. As for Belle, I don't understand how she could choose them over my father when she told me she loved all of him, including the dark part yet the minute she had that dagger in her hands, she couldn't resist the urge to control him when the others came to her."

"She never would have found the gauntlet without me," Henry admitted. "And she didn't understand it was showing her own weakness...not yours, Grandpa. I'm sorry..." He lowered his head guiltily.

"It's not your fault, lad, and it's in the past now."

"Bobby, we should send Jeanna into Storybrooke tomorrow if possible."

"She doesn't know how to get there," Henry reminded them.

"But I do," Archie said from the doorway. "It's almost a six hour drive from here."

"We'll take my truck," Jeanna added.

"We all should go," Kat put in. "In case something goes wrong."

"Murphy's Law, dearie," Rumple said sardonically. "And around me, many things always seem to go wrong."

"It's not gonna go wrong...I'll get what you need me to get and sneak out then we can see about gettin' that demon off your back, Merlin."

"They told me it wasn't going to be easy, Papa...prices would have to be paid..."

He'd begged them, even on his knees, to spare his father from paying any more but it had been in vain. They could not be persuaded.

"Stop it, Bobby," Kat ordered softly. She laid a hand on his arm. "Don't you blame yourself for the decisions others make. Your WIFE-" she spat the word angrily, like a curse. "_-caused this mess by betraying you. And not being who you thought she was. But we're going to fix it and do what she should have had the guts to do long ago, end your suffering." Her eyes glittered with repressed passion. "Had I known you long ago, your damned curse would have been dust on the wind by now. Because I wouldn't have sat on my ass whining about changing a cursed man-I would have done my damndest to free you! Believe, Rumplestiltskin! We WILL succeed! Because we won't even consider an alternative. Faith is believing despite doubts. Believe, caro mio. Because I believe in YOU."

Rumple exhaled softly. "Thank you, Kat." This was the woman he had needed in his corner all those years ago. Because she was more stubborn than ten mules and as solid as the rocks beneath his feet. Her conviction bolstered his flagging spirit.

"And so do we," Henry grabbed his hand. "I don't know what kind of magic it's gonna take to free you but I'll try until I pass out."

Kat eyed Bae sharply. "What else did They want? Three hundred years of torment not enough for Them?"

"He has to agree to let himself have a master...one last time."

Kat snarled. "Those damned-" she cursed at length in Italian, all the curses she could remember her father saying as he drove through traffic and watching sports shows.

"Why, Dad?"

"It's what the spell requires. A master willing to release their hold on his soul and two mages to help him banish the demon back to its prison."

Rumple locked eyes with his son. "And let me guess, the master cannot be a mage who needs to cast the banishment spell."

"Yes...and one strong enough to resist the dagger's temptation."

"One with a conscience..." Henry murmured.

"Henry and Kat must be the ones to banish the demon," Rumple said firmly. "And therefore that leaves you, Archie, mo chariad, to be the master of my soul." He called the therapist the Gaelic word for friend.

"What?! But I can't..."

"You're the only one who can, Doc. It has to be someone Robert knows, someone he trusts completely and who better than you?"

"It wouldn't feel right...it would be worse than what they did..."

"And that is why it must be you," Rumple persuaded. "Don't you see? You alone have never sought to hurt me, to use me for your own ends, however noble they might have seemed. You alone paid the price for your own actions that day and never turned and blamed me for what happened. And you've never condemned me for what I've done as the Dark One. The purest soul seeks not Power only Love. Once-once I was like that, Archie. Like you. And only to such a one can I trust to hold my soul and not be tempted to betray me for "my own good". Please?"

He gazed into the therapist's eyes, and Archie saw for the first time the master sorcerer stripped bare and vulnerable, needing him the way he had never done before. And he could not resist that silent plea for help.

"All right...I'll do whatever it takes..."

"Thank you," Rumple said sincerely, and clasped his hand in his own. "You won't regret it, dearie."

"Oh I know I won't...but I'm just...worried."

"I have faith in you," Bae said. "You can do what must be done. Better even than I could . . .because I think I might have committed the same sin of pride and hypocrisy as Belle if you'd ever given me the dagger, Papa."

"You wouldn't..." Archie began.

Bae smiled sadly. "I know myself better now than when I was alive. I know my own limitations and my own faults. I'd like to think I wouldn't . . .but it would be a close thing. I harbored too much resentment and anger towards my father to ever trust myself near that dagger. Because the demon would know-it ferrets out the darkness that lives within us all and uses it against us. And I spent too long dwelling with resentment when I was alive. It's only now that I'm able to let it go."

He sighed. "May God forgive me, but in that I'm like my mother. She could never let it go either, any of it. And she would never admit her own mistakes."

"Why do I get the feeling you're leaving things out, Ghostie?" Jeanna demanded.

Rumple's eyes narrowed in a way that made his son flinch in remembrance. "Baelfire, what else did They require of you? Because the price goes both ways."

"I can't come back...until you break the curse. I was only allowed to come long enough to tell you what needed to be done."

"Aye, I figured as much," Rumple said heavily. "In order to win your freedom, ye must sacrifice. It has ever been so. To those whom much is given, much shall be asked in return."

"And what's gonna be the Doc's price if he gives up control of Robert?"

"The dagger...may mark him."

"What?"

"He must fight against the evil as I have. It willna be easy, but then nothing worth doing ever is." Rumple told her. He looked at Archie. "Here's your chance to be a hero, dearie."

"I just wanted to be normal...like everyone else."

"And THAT's why you'll succeed," the old sorcerer said. "Because you cannot be seduced into righteousness like those before you who have commanded me for my own good."

"You can do it, Archie. I believe in you. I always have," Henry assured him.

"And I do also." Kat said. "And any damage that dagger does to you, I'll heal afterwards."

"She's a good healer. I didn't need to teach her that. It's instinctive with her," Rumple reassured.

"Looks like you're gonna need a little TLC with some KFC then," Jeanna joked.

"We can leave in the morning if you want us to. I'll get her to the town line but what if they have wards up. She'll need something to get past them."

"Leave that to me," Rumple declared. He made a quick beckon and a silver and gold entwined bracelet appeared in his hand. It had a single amber cabochon in the middle. "This will get you past any wards my former apprentice set."

"Papa...I have to go..." Bae said mournfully.

Rumple looked up at him, tears in his eyes. "I WILL see ye again, Bae. Trust me."

"I do, Papa...I do..."

"Dad...can't you stay...a little while..."

"I can't, Henry. I want to but I can't..."

Rumple hugged his grandson. "Ye must let him go, lad. It'll only be for awhile, until we do what must be done. I know it's hard, but this is what it means to be a white mage-ye give up what ye love best in the belief that your sacrifice will make things better."

"You better come back, Dad! You better! I'm not losing you again!"

"Hush, laddie," his grandfather murmured. "Ye will see him again. Break my curse and all debts are paid in full. Tell me ye are no' losing faith too, Henry? Ye have always believed." He carded the boy's hair.

"I'm not...I just don't want him to leave..."

"Aye, I dinna want it either. But if ye love him, ye must let him go." Rumple soothed. This was why the path of a white mage was so long and difficult, and why so many practitioners failed and turned to the seduction of the dark. "Ye must say goodbye for now, Henry."

"That's all this is gonna be, Dad. For now. Because we're gonna free Grandpa and you're gonna come back," the Truest Believer said determinedly.

"You'll see me again, son. Because if anyone can break this curse, you can. I love you. And-I'll be back," Bae said in his best Schwarzenegger imitation.

He faded away with a smile, hoping it wouldn't be long before he returned.

Robert hugged Henry hard. "Ye did well, lad. You're as brave as your papa. But it's okay if ye want to cry. I'm here for ye." Emotion roughed his voice and brought out his old accent, which as Kat had observed sounded remarkably like a Scotsman's.

The boy wept into his shoulder, finally unleashing all of the pain he felt from the day he learned of his father's death, a father he hadn't remembered even when paying his final respects at his funeral.

But his father had died a hero and he was still a hero in his young boy's eyes.

Robert held and rocked him, recalling yet another time when he had held Bae this way after telling him Milah had died because explaining how his unfaithful mother had run off with a bounder was too complicated for a child to understand. "It's okay, _a leannean,"_ he crooned, calling his grandson the Gaelic for "darling". "Cry all ye need, I'll no' melt." He rubbed soothing circles along the boy's back, shedding a few tears himself because he too missed his son.

"Okay," Henry sobbed.

"We should give them some time alone," Archie whispered to Jeanna and Kat.

"Yes," Kat agreed. "Before I start too." She had always been sensitive to others emotional states and would cry in sympathy if she felt close to those mourning. She rose and walked from the room.

Jeanna pulled her aside. "I'm gonna get that damned dagger...but I got some other plans in mind when I go in that town."

It was pulling them off that was going to be difficult.

"We can discuss them in the kitchen," Kat whispered.

"Doc, we're gonna have a little girl talk. Can you do me a favor and run down to KFC?"

"Jeanna, we just ate!"

"So I have the appetite of a cow at the moment. Sue me. Gonna need a bucket and make sure they don't forget the gravy!"

She tossed him the truck keys. "Better get used to drivin that."

"And get a chocolate cake too, I need the chocolate!" Kat added, giggling.

"Anything else, ladies?"

"Yeah...a six pack of Bud."

"Anything else?"

"Nope...get goin before the place closes!"

He shook his head at her and left.

Jeanna laughed. "Woulda given him a smack on the butt but he probably would've freaked out. Anyway...what I'm plannin is a little payback...and I might need some magic to pull it off."

Kat smirked. "I've pinched Bobby on the butt once or twice." Then she said, "What do you have in mind?"

"Archie told me something the other night...that bothered me. I mean… it was probably hard as hell for him to have me find out but now that I know...I'm so damned mad I wanna go witch and pirate hunting."

Kat tilted her head. "What did he tell you?"

Jeanna's eyes filled with tears. "That...bitch raped him Kat! Raped him..."

"Oh Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!" Kat cried, aghast. "The queen did that?"

"Yeah...and she took fuckin' pictures of it she used to scare him with unless he did what she wanted him to do."

Kat shook her head sadly. "Poor Archie! And those dumbasses believe she's changed? Ha! Once a rapist always a rapist."

"And that pirate tortured him...cut him to find Rumple. I wanna make them feel what he felt. And I wanna find those pictures and burn them to ashes."

"How about using them as blackmail against the bitch? And maybe paying back Mr. Dick by ruining his?" Kat sneered. "I've always believed all rapists should be castrated. Or spayed."

"You think Rob would help me?"

Jeanna caught sight of her reflection in the window and burst into laughter as a wicked plan formed in her mind.

"Maybe I don't need to put the fear of God in 'em...but someone else..."

"Oh yes, he wouldn't mind at all," Kat assured her. Then she said wickedly, "Tell me you're thinking what I'm thinking . . ." Then she threw back her head and chanted, "I'll get you my pretty, and your little dog too!"

"Just how much do I look like that broom ridin' bitch?"

"Hmm . . .well, from what I've seen of her in Bobby's memories . . .there's a resemblance, but you'll need a bit of tweaking, hon. You've not got the soul dead eyes and coldness. And she was a bit larger in the butt and then bosom. But a glamour can fix that."

"What if I'm invisible? I know I'm scared shitless of what I can't see more than what I can."

"That could work too."

"We'd better talk to Rob before the Doc gets back."

"Yes, but not just yet. Let Bobby fix up Henry first. I have a feeling he's been wanting to . . . cuddle that poor kid for a long time now, even if he'd never admit it." Kat said wisely.

"Yeah they need it. Kinda makes me wish I'd never had that damned surgery 'cause I know the Doc would make beautiful babies!"

"Surgery? You've had a hystorectomy?"

Jeanna nodded sadly. "Had fibroid tumors when I was in my thirties. They were benign..." She looked away. "The doctor I went to . . . messed things up..."

"That sucks . . ." Kat said. Then she frowned. "Maybe I could try something . . . once we break Bobby's curse. I might be able to . . . do something . . .maybe with my magic."

"I don't want you to...hurt yourself in the process. Besides...I'm getting too old now...I'm what...maybe six years younger than you."

Kat started laughing. "I just hope that Bobby doesn't mind hopping into bed with the forty year old virgin. Us good Catholic girls don't put out till we say I do. And I'm as old fashioned Catholic as they come."

"Well...the Doc would've been the virgin in our relationship had it not been for Queen Bitch at least that's my thinking. But it doesn't matter. I'm not the old fashioned type but I don't give it away to just anybody either and neither does he."

"Well, you could always adopt," Kat reflected. "We could too . . .only I'm not menopausal yet and if I'm a sorceress . . .I've a feeling we're a good deal more virile than ordinary people and we live longer so . . .I may be able to have kids later than most."

"Maybe. I'm just hoping once I settle the scores in that one horse town Archie can finally move on from what happened to him."

She glanced into the living room and saw Robert and Henry sitting on the sofa talking and in her mind she could picture Archie with a son of their own.

"Were you a wee bit younger lad, I'd put you on my lap like I used to do with your papa," Robert murmured.

"I don't care. I didn't get chances like this in Storybrooke...except that time I came to your shop after the power went out. And I'm sorry I was spying on you for Regina."

"It doesn't matter anymore, lad. It's done, like I told your papa. All that matters is what we have now. You were almost my Bae's age when I lost him...but this time I'm not gonna let anyone I love go again no matter if I'm cursed or not."

"We're gonna free you, Grandpa." Henry insisted. "And I wanna face my moms and fight them if they try and stop me!" He cried, the light of battle burning in his eyes.

He reminded Robert of Bae, boasting he was old enough to fight ogres. It scared him down to his soul, that Bae's son had inherited that same impulsive foolhardy spirit. So he said, sternly, " Henry, you're just an apprentice, and beginning to learn magic. Your mothers, even Emma know much more than you do. You're not strong enough, lad, to face them yet. They'd overpower you and kidnap you and then where would you be? Right back with those you distrusted and disliked."

"But Grandpa, I could _try . . ._ "

Robert's brows drew down in warning. "No, ye willna! 'Tis a fool's errand, and I willna permit ye to risk your life that way. Free me only to get trapped yourself?" He shook his head. "Think, lad! What's the one thing Regina wishes most of all? To take ye away from us. Me, Archie . . . even your papa. You'd never be able to see Bae in Storybrooke. Not with the wards on the town."

The master mage's words were soft, yet with steel in them. His grandson swallowed hard. "Umm . . . I guess you're right . . ." he conceded.

"Lad, I know it's hard, trying to come to terms with what yer mothers did to ye," Robert continued. "But acting impulsively will get you nothing but hurt. Ye said what ye needed to before ye left. I dinna think they've forgotten. "

"I know but . . . I wanted to show them that I have magic too."

"'Twill only make them more determined to get ye, son. To take your magic for their own ends. Or to turn ye. No, Henry. I cannot risk that. The task of a master is to protect his apprentices. Now heed my words, dearie. I dinna want to have to rescue you from those two witches."

Realizing Robert was correct, however much he didn't like to admit, Henry nodded. "Okay, Grandpa. I promise I'll do what you say."

"There's my smart lad!" his grandfather praised. "Now don't go breaking your word."

"I know better. No one breaks deals with you, Grandpa!"

"You'd better believe it," Robert declared. Then he hugged his grandson. Maybe the boy was more Gold than Charming after all.

They heard the apartment door close and Archie walked in with a bag from KFC and a six pack of Budweiser. Robert glanced at the parcels, frowning.

"Didn't ye just eat?"

Archie set the bags down and threw up his hands. "I have no idea why Jeanna insisted I go there now but I usually find it easier not to question her."

Grandson and grandfather laughed.

"Well if I'm gonna be going into witch territory, I need my comfort food first," Jeanna answered when she and Kat returned to the living room. "We've been doin some talkin', Rob and there's a few things we need to run by you."

"All right. That cloaking spell is still up but Ingrid cast a second one barring any of us from returning unless we were willed back in. She had a scroll from the Apprentice that she used to come in years ago and anyone who possesses that scroll can get in but they can also be willed...because I altered the spell to do just that," Robert added with a grin. "Always leave loopholes, dearies." He gestured to Jeanna's wrist. "Wear that and it will allow you to cross the town line without any trouble."

"We were discussing a glamour spell or invisibility," Kat spoke up. "She's thinking more along the lines of invisibility."

"That would be safer," Archie said softly.

"Aye. The bracelet will do that as well, Jeanna. Now here is what I will be needing you to retrieve and how to find them..."

The group discussed their plans over plates of fried chicken. It was decided that everyone would stay at Robert's apartment for the evening. He summoned all of Jeanna's gear from her apartment and campsite as well as some items for Kat. When Robert first purchased his apartment he'd planned on having one of the extra guest rooms as a nursery but once he travelled to New York alone he was uncertain what he would do with them but now he was grateful he'd kept them as they were. To everyone's surprise, Jeanna insisted on sleeping out on the sofa in the living room.

"I'll do that. You take the other room," Archie insisted.

"Now don't you be arguin with me, Doc. I'll be just fine out here." She gave him a quick kiss. "See ya in the morning."

Later on after they were certain Archie and Henry were in bed, Robert, Kat and Jeanna gathered in the living room, Kat casting a cloaking spell so that there was no chance their conversation could be overheard.

"What's on your mind, ladies?" Robert inquired softly.

"There's a few side projects I want to do when I go in that town and I need your help."

"Oh? Such as?"

"A little justice. I know what that witch did to the doc. He had...a nightmare the first night he was out at my place and it slipped out when I was trying to wake him up. And that pirate has it coming too."

Robert rubbed his hands together gleefully and giggled. "I like your style, Jeanna O'Malley! So that's why ye want to be invisible eh? The most dangerous enemy is the one ye cannae see."

"That and...she wants to psych them out...by pretending to be Zelena," Kat added with a smirk. "Would you like that, sweetheart?"

Robert threw back his head and laughed hysterically. "Ohhh aye! Then perhaps they wouldnae hae been so willing to spare her life had they known she had no intentions of sparing theirs! Ye hae some rememblances to her but not many, dearie. Ye could pass for her from a distance if ye show yourself long enough."

"I want those pictures she took of Archie because I'm going to burn them!"

"Those would be sealed by blood lock. But this will help you get that." He conjured a vial of squid ink, having learned how to replicate it after his son had used it on him in Neverland. "The ink from the squids of Neverland can freeze a magical creature for a limited time but it will be long enough for you to put the fear of Zelena into her precious sister, so to speak. But if you truly wish to inflict pain, Robin is her weakness. Maybe put a little suggestion in his head his wife is not who he thinks she is...and tell him what she's done to Archie."

"Bobby, that's brilliant!" Kat exclaimed. "And it makes sense. Her life force opened the portal...who's to say she didn't go back, kill Marian and take her form as her revenge against Regina?"

"My thinking exactly. And another thing...maybe you could also hint around that the Dark One has a new face...courtesy of my being six feet under of course. Now tell me, what do you have in mind for our little pirate friend?"

"First I'm gonna mark him like he marked the doc...to make him feel what the doc did when the son of a bitch tortured him. Then...I'm gonna hit him right where he lives. I'd like to cut it off completely but surely you can think of a way to cripple it without that?"

"Indeed I can." Another vial appeared in his hand. "Pour that on it and it'll shrink it down as small as ye want it. And here's some Ozian poppies. They'll put him to sleep if you need it. Oh dammit all, I want to see this!"

"So do I!" Kat giggled.

"Gonna be a helluva show. I'll find a way to record it for you."

"A home video I will be proud to watch!"

Jeanna and Archie awoke early that morning to pack the truck with their luggage. He would be staying in a nearby hotel while he waited for Jeanna to finish her work in Storybrooke, a few plans of his own in mind when she met up with him. Shortly before they left he pulled Robert aside to explain them to him.

"Are you sure you're ready, Archie?"

"I'm tired of letting what Regina did to me stop me from being happy. We haven't been dating that long but I've had feelings for Jeanna for months like she has for me, just was too afraid to ask her out. She did me a favor by asking me out instead. Oh God...I can't believe I'm doing this...I'm actually talking about...that." He blushed.

"You're two consenting adults, this isn't the Middle Ages and it sure as hell isn't the Enchanted Forest! The best part about it all is that you want to do this because you're in love, not to scratch an itch and certainly not as blackmail. Archie, that woman loves you and you're gonna find out soon enough just how much and she's going to want to as much as you do but what happens is between the two of you. You deserve your happy ending as much as anyone."

They left around noon, stopping only to use the restroom and refill the gas tank. Archie stopped the truck a short distance from the town line around 8 PM and turned off the engine. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked again.

Jeanna covered his hand with hers. "I want to. I'm gonna be fine, Doc. I'll sweep in, take what I gotta take and get the hell out. It's just a little grab and dash like I used to do back in El Paso while the sheriff was chasing his own ass tryin' to figure out what we were gonna do next. Come on. I need to make camp before morning."

She grabbed her pack out of the back of the truck and slung it over her shoulders, stepping cautiously toward the town line, thinking that Regina and Emma may have put some kind of barrier spell on it to prevent outsiders from entering as Greg and Tamara had and slowly reached through the barrier.

"Jeanna, is anything happening?"

"I'm feeling a bit of heat...like the thing wants to roast me and my bracelet is going haywire. These witches wanna burn someone, they oughta burn themselves. I'll roast marshmallows and Ball Parks." She pulled her hand out and took her backpack off, also warded, and tossed it at the barrier. There was a slight fissure as the bag passed through and landed with a loud thump on the other side. For several months the two of them stood there facing each other without speaking.

"Where are you staying?" she asked.

"I'm booked into the Holiday Inn Express," he answered.

"Call me when you get settled in."

"I will."

He stepped forward and pulled her into his arms protectively. "Jeanna, the first time you think anyone is going to come after you, whether you have the dagger or not, I want you to get the hell out of there," he said firmly. "Promise me!"

"Doc, I can..."

"Promise me!" he insisted.

"All right. I'll do it."

"Jeanna, I'm serious. I don't want to lose you too..."

"Doc, I've been through a lot of scraps before and come out on top. I'm not gonna get taken down by a bunch of wicked witches and a Jack Sparrow wannabe, though I'd tell him I'd take great pleasure in dissecting a pirate," she added, her eyes flashing. She smirked as she thought about the special little vial Robert had given her for one of her three secret missions. Archie would have his justice against the two people who wronged him the most by hitting them right where they lived and if things went well, he would also have his best friend back in his life. She caressed his cheek lovingly. "You just sit tight and when I get back we're gonna have ourselves a little victory celebration with lots of KFC. Y'hear?"

He chuckled. "I might need to go on the Cleanse from all that grease!"

"Oh, no ya don't!" She poked his chest with her finger. "I like my fried chicken like a good country gal...unless you want to make it yourself."

He was planning on surprising her by trying to do just that.

She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him softly. "I love you, Doc."

"I love you, Jeanna. Be careful in there..." he murmured as he held her to him, afraid to let go. She still didn't fully understand what she was facing beyond that barrier but he did and he would have tried to go through with her were it not for Henry. His son needed him. "I would go with you if I could..."

"You can't. You gotta think of Henry. He almost lost you once and you know what it did to him. You can't risk that again for me or anyone else. Now go...and don't forget to call me when you get to the hotel so I'm sure you made it there safe."

"I will," he promised and kissed her.

She took a deep breath and turned to walk through the barrier, feeling the heat intensifying as the wards struggled to cast her out, neutralized by Robert's powerful white magic. A few seconds later she was standing safely on the other side of the barrier and could see Archie still waiting beside her truck at the town line.

"Doc, go." she insisted.

He walked back to the truck with his head bowed and started the engine, glancing through the rearview mirror several times hoping to catch a glimpse of her but she'd already started walking into the part of the woods she would set up camp in.

The woods in Storybrooke, Maine were not that much different from the woods she used to camp out in while living in Texas, only the climate was much colder and there were far less dangerous animals but she kept her gun and her machete with her at all times. After she had her tent set up she poured the contents of another potion onto it that would make it invisible to anyone who came out in the woods either for a stroll or a random security check. Robert warned her that Emma and Hook would sometimes scout the woods for possible threats to their little haven. She didn't want the Jack Sparrow wannabe to surprise her. She was going to surprise him.

It would take Archie another hour or so to get to the hotel and settled in so she called Robert first. He, Kat and Henry were back at Robert's apartment waiting anxiously for the private investigator's call.

"I'm in."

"Did you have any trouble with wards, dearie?" Robert inquired softly.

"They had one set up to deep fry any outsider but I passed through without a blemish. I'm gonna rest for a few hours before I go into town. You don't mind if I make a few pit stops before I go to the house and shop, do you?"

"Not all. Just make sure you keep your bracelet on and they won't even know you're there." She heard rustling on the other end of the line. "Where are you camped at?"

She gave him the navigational directions. Robert glanced down at the map he still owned of the town and marked two spaces with a red Sharpie. "She's right here," he was saying to Kat, pointing to the first mark then moved his finger across the paper to the second. "The dagger, if they returned it to its original hiding place, should be somewhere around that vicinity."

"The metal detector should pick it up, won't it?" Kat asked him.

"Yes."

"When you get to the shop, use the vial of blood I gave you on the lock to the safe and it will open for you," Robert instructed the detective.

"It has a camera in it, right?" Jeanna inquired.

"Ten."

"I'll wear a mask then or just use invisibility. All right. We'll call you back when I have everything."

"Be careful in there, Jeanna!" Henry cautioned.

"You're worse'n the doc! I can hold my own."

Seconds later the line went dead.

Archie was exhausted by the time he arrived at the hotel, too exhausted both physically and emotionally to do anything other than crawl into bed. He grabbed his phone off the nightstand and dialed Jeanna's number.

"I'm at the hotel," he mumbled.

"You sound like you're ready to drop, Doc."

"I feel like it. Is everything all right?"

"Yeah. This place would be great to camp out in if it wasn't inhabited by wicked witches and hypocrites. You know what's weird: I can't hear any crickets out here and there should be a bunch of them. I think maybe Henry's right and they left when you did, Doc."

"There weren't any there...until I stood up to Regina that first time..."

"I'm going to take a nap for a few hours then get started. Don't wanna be in this hellhole any longer than I have to be."

"Good," he muttered.

"Get some sleep Doc. You need it."

"Good night, Jeanna. I love you."

"Love you too, Doc."

 **A/N: Once again, awesome thanks to everyone reading! Who cannot wait to see what a Texas Tornado unleashes on Storybrooke? Be prepared, dearies, for some payback!**


	8. A Texas Tornado in Storybrooke

**~ A Texas Tornado In Storybrooke ~**

Jeanna's alarm woke her after two AM. She got up and dressed in black clothing, her gun in its holster around her waist and her machete in a scabbard. She carried a black ski mask in her pocket. When she walked into town she could see several patrons coming out of the Rabbit Hole, a few of them too drunk that they could barely stand. She glared at them.

 _Just like Daddy._

One of the men saw her and his eyes widened with fear. "It's that goddam wicked witch. Let's get the hell outta here!" he cried. She ducked into the alley.

"Ah, it's just the beer makin you see things Dopey!" said the other. "Look. There's nothin there!"

"I coulda sworn I saw her there...all dressed in black she was."

"Ding Dong, Dopey! The witch is dead. The Dark One put a knife in her guts...remember?"

"I dunno why the Queen wanted to keep 'er alive. She needed killing."

"Yeah me neither but she's still merely dead and really most sincerely dead."

Jeanna giggled.

"You think we oughta tell the Sheriff just in case?"

"Nah. They'll just throw us in the drunk tank. Let's go home."

The two men staggered down the street. Jeanna turned and headed for the harbor where the Jolly Roger was moored, patting the vial in her pocket. The pirate was going to get one nasty wakeup call. Robert told her that the ship had been cloaked by Cora when Hook first arrived in Storybrooke and possibly warded but her magic was no match for Robert's. The moment she stepped onto the ship she vanished from sight and because she could not be heard either she started singing Beer For My Horses.

"Grandpappy told my pappy, back in my day, son

A man had to answer for the wicked that he done

Take all the rope in Texas

Find a tall oak tree, round up all of them bad boys

Hang them high in the street for all the people to see that

Justice is the one thing you should always find

You got to saddle up your boys

You got to draw a hard line

When the gun smoke settles we'll sing a victory tune

We'll all meet back at the local saloon

We'll raise up our glasses against evil forces

Singing whiskey for my men, beer for my horses..."

When she walked into the captain's quarters Hook lay on his bunk snoring loudly. She yanked the covers off him and threw them in the corner.

"Wake up, Captain Guyliner!" she hissed.

"Whaaa...who...Emma...love...where are ya?" he slurred.

"I'm not Emma!"

"Oh, well...you sound beautiful...why don'cha come out and we'll get to know each other better," he purred, winking.

"In your dreams and my worst nightmares, pirate. Jesus Christ, put some fuckin' clothes on. You think I wanna look at First Mate Limp Dick!"

She kicked his feet out from under him when he stood up and he fell back on the bed. She stood beside the mattress and pressed the blade of the machete against his belly. "You think you're hot shit and you've sure got that stupid Savior fooled but you don't fool me one bit. You're as rotten as they come and if I were as evil as you, I'd gut you like a fish...or I'd just try to drown you...like the last time."

"Zelena!" he gasped. "But...you're dead! The crocodile killed you."

"Wicked always wins, dear."

She grabbed his hook off the nightstand and held it up. "You're scared now, aren't you? Good. You should be."

 _This is for you, Doc,_ she thought. _I'll make this fucker as terrified as he made you._

She made a long cut across his abdomen. "Now...do you want to see how low I can go or are you going to answer a few questions for me?"

"W...What do you want to know?" the pirate demanded, instantly sobered.

"Where...is...the...dagger...?" she demanded icily.

He smirked. "Even if you get it, witch, it's not gonna work. We threw the Dark One out of town."

"Pity. Looks like he's going to have to be replaced ... but not with the likes of you."

He gulped.

"You heard me right, pirate. There are other ways of becoming the Dark One without killing the previous one but you so-called heroes have been so busy chasing your tails and each other to do a little research. Tell me, have you been doing a little research of your own with Rumple's little librarian? I heard she's already painting the town."

"She'll come around."

Jeanna snorted. "You just can't wait to stick it in any vagina, can't you?" She uncorked the vial and dumped the contents into his lap. "I'm sorry dear, but I'm afraid you're going to come up a bit short in that department from now on."

Hook watched with horror as his penis began to shrink until it was smaller than his big toe. "Wh...YOU BITCH! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO ME!" he howled.

She grabbed a handful of his hair and yanked his head up. "Hit you where you live, you son of a bitch! Now when you wake up in the morning I want you to give your little hero friends a message from me: Payback's gonna be one helluva bitch!" She punched him in the face. He fell back onto the mattress as she uncorked a second vial and dosed him with Ozian poppies.

 _One down, one to go Doc,_ she thought triumphantly.

She was going to enjoy this second night raid the most. For years, Regina had taken pleasure in terrifying the man she loved, now it was her turn to make the queen squirm. It was a shame she wouldn't be there to watch it but if all went according to plan, she wouldn't have to. She continued singing as she walked toward Mifflin Street.

As Robert had cautioned her, there were also wards placed on the queen's mansion that she walked through effortlessly. In her jacket pocket she carried squid ink that Robert had in his safe back in New York. It was the only magical item he'd taken from Storybrooke during his preparations to move before his exile. She would have preferred gasoline and a blowtorch but she would make do.

She kneeled down in the foyer and poured several drops of another vial on the floor.

"Show me where they are," she whispered.

A trail of golden light lead from the foyer and up the stairs, stopping at the queen's closed bedroom door. Jeanna strode up the steps with the squid ink bottle ready and kicked the door open, startling Regina awake.

"What...?"

"Ding Dong, Sis! Guess who's not dead?" Jeanna sang and threw the vial of squid ink on her.

"Zelena!" Regina snarled as the ink seeped into her skin and froze her. "Where are you?"

"Here, there, everywhere. Doesn't really matter, does it? Didn't think you could get rid of me that easily, did you?"

"One can only hope," Regina said bitterly.

"Tisk tisk...poor Regina...you lost the man you loved...and your son. How does it feel to lose your happy ending?"

"I'll get them back. You'll see."

"That's what you think!" Jeanna snarled and slapped her. "I could kill you right now if I wanted to but I'll settle for making you suffer!"

She pulled out her knife and jabbed the tip of Regina's finger with the blade. "But first I need a donation from you." She smeared the drops of blood onto one of the gloves she was wearing. "There. That ought to do it. You know what the beauty is having that pendant: it stored part of my life force...and I was able to take a little trip back in time and do a wardrobe change...of course I had to have a new body to go with it...and who better than Marian ..."

Regina's face paled. "No...it can't be!"

"Oh yes, dear. I'm now Robin's wife...in every way," she added gleefully. "And soon...very soon there's going to be another addition to the family. Isn't it just wonderful?"

"You bitch!"

"I'm the bitchiest witch in the west! You should've killed me when you had the chance...but instead you wanted to carry on this little charade of trying to be 'good' but we all know you aren't, don't we, Regina?" She walked over to the wall and pressed the blood stained glove to the lock, opening the safe. She grabbed the envelope containing the photographs and opened it, feeling the bile rising in her throat when she saw Archie naked and passed out on Regina's bed. One of the pictures flew across the room and struck the queen in the face. "Hmmmm... raping a man while he's under the influence. I wonder what Robin's going to think of that. No, actually I'm going to find out what he thinks of it...when I tell him."

"You...wouldn't...dare..." Regina snarled.

"Oh, but I would. For the entertainment value. And he seems to have forgotten all those villages you burned and the executions you ordered. Perhaps he needs a reminder that his place is with a good honest woman, not one as rotten as you!"

"Well, isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?"

"And oh...look at this...you do love taking pictures of your sexual assaults, don't you Regina? Here's some of that poor huntsman. Might want to make an appointment with the cricket. Oh, that's right...he's not here and well, talking about committing rape with one of your victims would be a bit awkward now wouldn't it?"

"When this wears off I'm going to melt you, you bitch, and with more than water!"

Jeanna grabbed her by the hair and yanked her head back pointing the blade of the machete at her throat. "Right now you can't do anything but sit here...and listen. There's a new Dark One in town, dear, and I assure you, no one is going to be able to control me. I'll have you all down on your knees. Just like Mother wanted."

"It's not possible..."

"How does one become the Dark One, dear? By killing the predecessor? That's one way...but there are many others and I just happened to find one. Still, I couldn't risk having my predecessor around. My, my was he in for a shock when he saw me. Collapsed dead on the street from a heart attack... and no magic to save him this time."

"Gold's...dead?"

"Dead as last Christmas. He was useless to me without magic anyway and pining over his precious Belle. Pathetic. We could have been something." She laughed. "Looks like Beauty's little heroic stunt killed the Beast. Now she can bask in her glory...before she dies."

Jeanna was warned that the squid ink only lasted two hours and had a second dose ready to give her just enough time to visit Geppetto, get everything she needed from the shop and steal a car.

She stepped back. "It will be exciting to see you heroes go back to being zeros." She threw the second bottle. "You're going to be a bit stiff in the morning. Sorry about that. No, wait...I'm not but that's only mild pain compared to what you'll be feeling later when Robin rejects you." She walked over to the door and took out a can of green spray paint, painting a stick figure with a witch's hat riding a broom and wrote See You Soon Sis!

The string of curses and screams of frustration she heard as she was walking out the door were music to her ears.

She wasn't fond of the idea of breaking into an older man's home in the middle of the night and scaring him but it was the only way she could talk to him. She jimmied the lock on the downstairs window and crawled in, willing the bracelet to allow her to be visible just long enough for them to talk. He was asleep when she entered his bedroom.

"Geppetto?" she whispered softly.

The older man sat up in bed, horrified when he saw her. "Y...Who are you?"

"I don't have much time but Archie is all right and he misses you," she said softly.

"Y...You've seen him?"

She smiled. "Almost every day."

"Are you his wife?"

"Workin' on that. My name's Jeanna O'Malley. He's told me a lot about you...and how he was sorry he had to leave the way he did but he had to...for Henry."

Geppetto smiled wistfully. "Did he tell you what happened before he left...how we argued? I blamed him for so many years but it wasn't his fault what happened to my parents...I told him that but he still has a hard time with it."

"I know. I'm working on that too. He would like to come back here to see you, but he can't. Not unless someone from here wills him to. And he doesn't want Regina anywhere near Henry."

"Can't he come at night like you have?"

"We could try but maybe one time. It's too dangerous to try again."

"What if my boy and I came to see him?"

"Would you do that? Would you want to leave this town and not come back?"

He nodded. "There isn't much here for us now. Everyone...is different now and we never know which villain will strike next. It's not safe for my boy. I lost him once. I don't want to lose him again."

"Pack up everything you can but make sure you do it quietly. Archie's staying in a hotel not far from here. We need to come back here one more time to do something important but he has to be willed to cross the town line."

"You call me when you need to come back and I'll let him in."

She hugged him. "We'll make sure you're taken care of. I'd better get going."

"Jeanna?"

"Yes."

"Thank you."

She smiled and him and ran downstairs, making sure she reactivated the visibility spell and locked the window. She put on the ski mask just before she approached Robert's shop. Just like old times. Wish the Spencer boys could see this but I was the one not dumb enough to get caught.

She put the spare key Robert had given her in the lock, chuckling when she realized his idiot of a wife hadn't changed the locks and walked over to the wall where the safe was located, pouring several drops of blood from the vial Robert had given her onto her glove. She pressed her finger into the lock and it sprung open. Inside it were Belle's contract, several books on the Dark One legends, Bae's shawl, and the chipped cup. As she was pulling the books out, the cup fell to the floor and shattered. She stuffed the items in the safe into the backpack she was carrying and hurried into the backroom, cursing a blue streak when she realized she would have needed the chipped cup to open the second lock on the floorboards. She took out her phone and dialed Robert's number.

"Houston we have a problem!" she said frantically. "I broke the damn cup and I'm in the backroom!"

"You don't need it to open the lock, dearie," he said sleepily. "Just use the blood on it and it will open. I take it your mission has been successful so far?"

"The pirate is pissing himself and Regina's a stiff for the moment. Telling me to pose as Zelena was a great idea. They nearly shit themselves in fear of her."

"Better them than me."

"I recorded my meetings with Regina and Hook. Will let you listen to them later. Just don't eat or drink anything while you do. Don't want you to choke on me."

He giggled. "Looking forward to it."

"We've got a way in to Storybrooke. Geppetto wants me to call him when we come back. He's going to will Archie in."

"And then Archie can will me in. Brilliant, dearie, brilliant."

"Okay, here goes..." She poured some of the blood onto the floor. A small panel slid open. "Got it open! Now what am I looking for?"

"Are there two boxes in there or one?"

"Two."

"We'll need both. One holds the hat, the other is Pandora's Box."

"No shit? The Pandora's Box? How the hell did you get a hold of that?"

"Being the Dark One does have its perks...but it's more of a prison than anything and not a pleasant one. I was a former inmate."

She put the boxes in her bag. "Got 'em. Go back to sleep. Gotta go steal me a Caddy."

"Don't you ruin my dash hotwiring it!" he cried.

"Aww you want cheese with that whine? You can just poof it back together. Why the hell didn't you have the keys on you or even make a spare set?"

"Didn't need to. I was the only one who drove it."

"Well it would've helped!" she huffed.

"Quit your whining and as you say...GIT 'ER DONE! It's almost daylight!"

"I'm goin!"

Robert lay back on his bed, a satisfied smirk on his lips. He could picture Her Royal Frozen Majesty steaming in her white mansion and Hook having to clean up his own filth. He went back to sleep dreaming that he was watching their misery and relishing every moment of it just as they relished every moment of misery they'd given him.

The Caddy was parked in front of the Victorian. She jimmied the lock on the front door and went inside, needing to do one last errand before she took the car. She crept upstairs to the master bedroom and could see Belle asleep on the bed, the book her mother had given her facedown on the mattress beside her. She closed the door and walked down the hall to the second bedroom, snorting in disgust when she could see Will Scarlet sleeping in the bed. She snapped a picture on her phone, knowing Robert was going to be furious when he found out Belle's new lover was living in his house and sleeping in his guest bedroom but that was one of the main reasons why he'd sent her there in the first place; to confirm his suspicion.

As she was walking out she saw Rumple's old cane tossed in a trash can, grabbed it and the car keys off a hook on the wall, relieved she wouldn't have to hotwire it after all.

 _I hope to hell that bookworm moron put gas in it! I don't have a can of liquid Schwartz lying around and I sure as hell doubt there's gonna be a gas station open in this one-horse town now!_

She got in the car and started up the engine, relieved when the needle on the gas gauge moved to the letter F and put the car in drive, speeding out toward the woods. She parked the car a short distance away from her campsite and started breaking it down, storing everything in the trunk then took out the metal detector and a shovel. She followed the signals the device was giving to a location close to the Toll Bridge and started digging, horrified by what she found in the hole. There was the skeleton of a human in the hole wearing a watch that had been fashionable in the early Eighties.

 _Kurt Flynn!_ she thought, remembering Archie telling her how Owen Flynn had targeted Regina for revenge believing she'd killed his father. She took several pictures of the gravesite and the skeleton itself. The skull itself showed signs that he'd been killed by a blow to the head. She crossed herself, said a short prayer and covered the body back up, feeling awful for disturbing the poor man's rest. She turned the metal detector back on and the signal led her back to a spot close to where her campsite was. She prayed she wouldn't find another body and started digging and to her delight the dagger lay in the ground.

As soon as she crossed the town line, she took out her phone and called Archie. The phone rang several times before he answered.

"Hello?" he mumbled.

"Mission accomplished, Doc! Go get the KFC and we'll celebrate."

"Honey, it's morning. There won't be one open yet."

"I've got a few things to do but it'll be around six or so by the time I get there."

"Alright but be careful."

"I will. Love you, Doc."

"I love you too, Jeanna. I'll call Rumple and let him know what's going on." Archie sat up, rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. He'd been on edge from the moment she crossed the town line that he barely slept. He dialed Robert's number and to his surprise Kat answered the phone.

"Kat? Is Rumple there?"

"Yes he is but he and Henry are sleeping in a bit late. We were all up late last night having magic lessons."

"Well, this will make his morning. Jeanna has the dagger."

"She got it?! Wonderful! Where is she now?"

"On her way here to meet me but she had some errands to run first. We won't be back until tomorrow. She'll probably be tired and I...ahh...wanted to take her out to dinner tonight."

"That's fine. Thank you...both of you," she sobbed. "I'll go wake Bobby right now and tell him the good news!"

"We'll see you tomorrow then."

Kat raced upstairs and collided with Robert as he was coming out his bedroom, her glasses falling off her face. He kneeled down and picked them up. "Kat, sweetheart, what is it?"

"Bobby," she began breathlessly. "The dagger...they have it!"

"I don't feel anything...the way I did when Zelena took it. When the dagger falls into another's possession it calls back to me which proves my theory that it is inactive in any other realm but mine." He sighed. "It also proves that the only way I can break my curse is to go back to that godforsaken town."

"We don't have a way in."

"Yes we do. Jeanna convinced Geppetto to will Archie back in...and then he can will me in. Once we're inside I will have to perform a ritual that will separate me from the demon. The ritual is in the book Jeanna was able to get out of my safe. I should have used it instead of the one I originally performed but I was desperate. Performing this one will be much more difficult and require all the strength I have."

She took his hands in hers. "Your strength doesn't just come from here..." she said, placing her hand over his heart. "It comes from here too," she said and placed his hand over hers. "And Henry...you won't be doing this alone...that was the problem before."

"Kat, this is something I should do alone...the price..."

"No, it isn't and if you think like that, you won't succeed. Remember what Bae told us. It has to be all of us. All your life you've been taught how love is your greatest weakness but you've also seen it used as a strength. It broke the Dark Curse...and it can banish that demon from your soul because Henry and I will be there to anchor you. Believe in yourself...believe in us." she pleaded.

He stood there for a moment allowing her words to sink in and realizing she was right. With the strength of three combined into one, he would at last be able to free himself from the burden that had been his alone to carry for centuries.

"I do...now," he murmured, crossing the distance between them and taking her into his arms. "You're a brave woman, Katherine Fiochetta, do you know that? You know this won't be easy..."

She smiled and kissed him ardently. "Life isn't easy, Bobby. That's the problem with people today. They want everything handed to them, not have to work for it. It's the same with a relationship. I'm going to work damned hard to keep you."

Belle's words to him at the town line echoed in his mind. She claimed she'd tried so hard to be what he wanted and lost her way. How? The way he remembered it, HE was the one always having to be what SHE wanted.

"Then we must talk about what we will need to do when Jeanna comes back with the items I need from my shop."

"I'll go wake Henry. He'll want to know."

The teenager was ecstatic when he heard the news. They only had eight more days left but everything was moving along according to plan. He was hoping things were as easy in Storybrooke though he knew they wouldn't be. Breaking a curse was much harder when it took more than just true love's kiss but he was up to the challenge. He was after all, the grandson of Rumplestiltskin...and unlike his mother, he could be the Savior he needed to be.

Half an hour later Jeanna arrived with the items she'd taken from the shop. When she handed Robert the dagger he handed it back to her.

"This has to be in Archie's hand when you two return to Storybrooke. He has to summon me to him and I'll bring the two of you in."

"Why?" Henry asked.

"So that it knows he is my new master. It's one of the two commands he'll have to give me. The second is to remove my heart."

"And then we can perform the banishment," Kat said as she was reading. "The dagger has to be out of Archie's hand and over the town line before the last letter fades. The demon will try to escape and with the dagger unclaimed..."

"It will seek a new vessel. Any one of you is at risk, dearies, except for me, so be brave."

"Once we neutralize the dagger we can trap the demon."

"Then we can get the heck outta there?" Henry asked hopefully.

"Yes."

"I don't like you having to take your heart out, Bobby."

"Kat, my heart is where it hides and my heart is where it must be banished from."

"I just wish there was another way."

He took her hands in his. "There is no other way _a leannean_. I must do this however they wish me to...for Bae...for Henry...for us."

She raised his hands to her lips and kissed his knuckles. "For us."

It was no surprise to any of them that Regina had given Robin the keys to Bae's apartment so that he and his family would have a place to live in New York. Robert wasn't happy about it but he also wasn't cruel enough to throw a family out on the street. The former outlaw was having a difficult time adjusting to life in the outside world but he'd managed to find a job bartending in Manhattan. Having once owned a tavern, it was a comfortable fit for him except the crowd could be a bit more difficult to handle and there were so many new drinks to learn. Jeanna shadowed him as he was walking home from the store with his son in tow.

"Mr. Hood?"

"Y...yes..." His eyes widened with horror. "Roland! Run home to your mum. Run!" he cried.

"Mr. Hood, I promise you I am not Zelena and I don't want to harm your family. I just want to talk to you." She pulled a card out of her bag.

"A private investigator? I don't understand. Miss O'Malley...did Regina send you?"

"No. I don't work for her." Jeanna said bitterly. "It would be best if we had this conversation indoors...and away from your boy. Some of what we need to talk about is not fit for his ears."

"All right...come on in."

Marian was shocked to find an outsider accompanying her husband and son home from the grocery store but the refined lady that she was, she would not refuse to be hospitable. In the six months she'd been living in the outside word she learned so much that made her duties as a wife and mother much simpler but getting Robin to love her again was not so easy. It pained her to bite her tongue when she knew he was thinking about the Evil Queen. In her eyes that was what Regina would always be. She remembered well the other woman's misdeeds and it pained her that the queen had her husband so enthralled that he did not. She sent Roland to his room to watch television while they spoke in the kitchen.

"If you don't work for Regina, who do you work for...and how do you know about us?" Marian inquired softly.

"I was hired by Archie Hopper six months ago to find his adopted son's grandfather...Rumplestiltskin."

"Wait a minute...how is Henry Doctor Hopper's adopted son? He's Regina and Emma's boy." Robin demanded.

"Not anymore he isn't," Jeanna growled. "Henry and Archie left Storybrooke a few weeks after you did. Now Archie and Rob have joint custody of him...and Emma and Regina's parental rights have been terminated."

"Why?"

"Why? Why? Robin, that woman didn't deserve to have a child after everything she did. Thank the gods Doctor Hopper had enough common sense to get the poor boy away from Regina...but why did he have Emma's rights terminated, Miss O'Malley?"

"Captain Hook tortured Archie the first time he came to Storybrooke to get information on the town for himself ... and Cora. Archie was concerned for Henry's safety since Emma is seeing that pirate. Hook claims to have changed his ways but I have evidence to the contrary. He just wants a piece of ass if you'll forgive my crudeness. And when Archie was preparing to leave with Henry, Regina tried to kill him."

"She wouldn't have..." Robin protested.

"Ask Henry!" Jeanna shouted. "He was there, Robin, and it was only because of him that she didn't succeed. You don't know your precious queen as well as you think you do...and you need a reminder. And before you tell me I don't know Rumplestiltskin, I can assure you I do. He's been completely honest about his past...including the year of captivity, the abuse he suffered and the loss of his son. But your precious queen has quite a few skeletons in her closet that you need to see and hear...before you think about abandoning a good wife and a family to shack up with her."

She pulled the folder with the photographs out of her bag and handed them to the couple. "It hurts me to do this...because I'm more to Archie than just a PI but I want to see justice done for him," she croaked. "Now see what kind of a woman you're in love with, Robin Hood!" she snarled.

"Oh gods...Robin...what did she do?" Marian gasped.

"She raped them," Jeanna sobbed. "She was abusing Graham for years...Archie only one time...but she used these pictures as leverage against him to make him do what she wanted when Henry was in therapy with him. He...he forgave her for Henry's sake but he never forgot...and if you think these were Photoshopped, you might wanna listen to this!"

Robin could feel the bile rising in his throat as he listened to Regina admitting to, without actually saying it, that she was indeed guilty of violating the two men in the worst kind of way...and had no remorse whatsoever. He jumped out his chair and ran into the bathroom. The women could hear retching sounds.

"Thank you...thank you so much for doing what I couldn't." Marian reached across the table and took Jeanna's hand. "Although I wish it would have been another way that didn't hurt you or Doctor Hopper."

"We're gonna be okay, Marian. But I've got one more favor to ask...if he calls her...I don't want him to tell her it was me...that it was Zelena. She doesn't need to know who exposed her...yet."

Robin emerged from the bathroom, his face pale. "I never want to see that woman again!" he hissed. "She'd better not come here!"

"We're working on that. I'm sorry I had to do this, I really am but she can't keep sweeping her sins under the carpet. Archie's been dealing with this for years and he's just now starting to move on but he deserved justice."

Robin took out his phone. Jeanna grabbed it out of his hand. "If you call her...tell her...tell her I was Zelena. That's who she thinks I was."

"You weren't lying when you said I was expecting, Jeanna. I am," Marian announced.

"All the more reason why you belong here, Robin," Jeanna insisted.

"I know...and I owe you a debt...for reminding me of the man I used to be. Marian...I am so sorry..." he croaked. She walked over to him and embraced him.

"We'll work it out...together."

"After I make...this call...can you get her number off this phone...I don't quite...know how to use it yet." Robin pleaded to Jeanna.

"Sure. I'll even help you block her from calling you again. You're doing the right thing...just like I always thought you did when I was a kid. You were one of my heroes y'know."

"Haven't quite lived up to it, have I?"

"You made a mistake and now you have a chance to make it right."

He sighed deeply and pressed the button to call Regina.

"Robin? Robin!? Are you all right? Oh, I am so glad to hear your voice!"

"This is the last time you're going to hear from me. You disgust me! I never want to see you again and if you try to come here, come anywhere near my son and my wife, I swear to the gods I will find a way to kill you!"

"Robin...please...whatever Zelena's told you..."

"It's the truth! You even admitted it...on tape, Regina! And I've seen the photographs. You lying miserable whore! Just stay the hell away from me!"

"Robin..."

"It's over Regina. It's over," he said coldly.

He could hear her sobbing on the other end of the line, but her tears would move him. Not this time. He disconnected the call and handed the phone to Jeanna. She pressed several icons, removing Regina's number and installed an application a friend made for her to block any future calls then handed the phone back. "If you need anything...you can give any of us a call, okay?" She handed him Archie's card. He nodded and tucked it into his pocket.

"Would you like to stay for lunch, Jeanna?" Marian offered.

"I'd like to but I've got Doc and a bucket of KFC waiting for me. Maybe some other time but I appreciate the offer. I really hated to do this and run...but the poor man's been up half the night worryin' about me. He doesn't know I came here."

"That's fine. You go and see him."

Jeanna give them a smile as she left, hoping that Robin would honor his promise and be the man and father that Marian and Roland deserved now that he had his own freedom.

Finding a KFC where Archie was staying was worse than finding a needle in a haystack but thankfully the desk clerk helped him locate one. "When Miss O'Malley comes in, would you please give her the other room key?" he asked after he returned from his shopping trip carrying bags from KFC, Victoria's Secret and a dozen red roses.

The clerk grinned. "Sure, Mr. Hopper. I'll send her right up. Have a good evening!" he added wondering why this particular guest requested a room with two beds when it was obvious they would only be using one.

Archie watched the clock anxiously for her arrival, the roses in a vase on the table, the nightgown he bought for her wrapped up and sitting on the extra bed and soft music playing on his phone's docking station and the KFC in the microwave ready to reheat.

Jeanna pulled into the parking lot of the hotel shortly after 6 PM as she'd promised.

"Can I help you?" the clerk asked.

"Do you have a reservation for a Jeanna O'Malley?" she inquired, handing him her license.

The clerk was smirking. "Mr. Hopper asked me to give you this." He placed the keycard in her hand. "Have a good night!" he called after her.

"What the hell was that all about?" she wondered aloud. "Ah, never mind!" She set her suitcase down and just before she could put the keycard in the lock the door opened and Archie pulled her into his arms and kissed her.

"Thank the gods! I was getting worried!"

"I'm here now, Doc," she murmured. "And I missed you like crazy."

"Did you take the dagger back to Rumple?"

She shook her head. "I have to give it to you."

"Just leave it where it is for now. I'll take it when I have to. You look tired. Maybe you should lie down for a bit."

"I'm wide awake now and hungry! Is that KFC I smell?"

He chuckled. "Would it be anything else?"

"Nope, you know me too well. I...oh my God! Doc!" she gasped when she spotted the vase of red roses. "Are those...for me?"

"Who else would they be for?" he inquired softly.

She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him passionately. "I love you, Doc."

"I love you Jeanna. Here, sit down. You need a rest after all that driving." He took her hand and led her over to the sofa beside the table. As he kneeled down to pick up her overnight bag, a folder fell out and he gasped in shock when he saw a very familiar set of photographs. "Jeanna...how did you get these?"

"I went to that bitch's house and got them," she answered.

"Why? You could've gotten yourself killed!"

"Why? I did it because I love you and I wasn't gonna let that bitch hold this over you forever. I settled all your accounts, Archie, and now that pirate and that bitch know what's like to get a taste of their own medicine."

He went into the bedroom and sank down on the bed, dropping the folder on the mattress behind him. "What did you do?" he whispered.

"I didn't kill them if that's what you want to know. I psyched them out Doc, made 'em think I was Zelena." She pulled her recorder out of her bag and pressed play. Once the tape ended after her conversation with Robin he simply sat there for a few minutes.

Archie, you're gonna find out soon enough just how much that woman loves you...

And now he knew. And he loved her all the more.

"I should be angry with you...I should be furious with you..." He started laughing through his tears. "But I'm not! Because they both got no less than they damned well deserved!"

"I was so worried you were gonna be mad at me...because you wouldn't have done it," she confessed.

"No, but you're braver than I am. I made up my mind before we drove down here that I was going to put all that behind me and now I know I'm ready to." He got up and walked over to the other bed and picked up the gift box, handing it to her.

"What's this?"

"I had a bit of trouble trying to figure out whether you would like anything like this..." he said nervously.

"Now you have me curious." She opened the box and found a leopard design v-neck eyelet lace trim nightie inside and held it up. "Archie...it's beautiful. But why...?"

The moment she gazed into his eyes she had her answer and held out her arms to him. He went into them willingly and allowed her to pull him down on top of her, his hands sending the photographs scattering to the floor as he kissed her. All morning he'd imagined her lying there wearing the gift he'd bought for her and regretted only for a moment or two not allowing her to change into it first.

"Doc, are you sure...?" she asked, her fingers pausing at the buttons on his shirt.

"Yes," he said firmly and kissed her again. It was a blessing that he remembered little of that night with Regina nor did he want to but he wanted to remember every moment of this night with Jeanna. He slowly pulled her shirt up over her head and let it drop onto the floor and gazed down at her, desire blazing in his blue eyes. "I'm not going to let what she did ruin what could be the best night of my life."

"It's just the start, Doc," she whispered, having her so close arousing him as he never had been before and for a moment he felt ashamed and cursed his lack of experience.

 _Damn you Regina!_ he thought angrily. _You are not going to ruin this for me! You are not!_

"Doc, what's the matter?"

He blushed and looked away, too embarrassed to even say it. "Ummm..."

"Oh honey," she crooned in his ear. "You're not the only one burnin' hotter than an oven and you don't know how many times I dreamed about us bein' like this..."

She was content allowing him to explore her body with his hands and mouth and even with his lack of experience, the pleasure he gave her was far greater than she'd ever had with any other lover.

"Ahh Doc, if I'd known you make love so good, I would've asked you out a long time ago," she moaned softly stroking his hair as his lips made a trail across her belly. He sat up, his eyes meeting hers.

"But we haven't...yet."

"Honey there's more to makin love than just...well... sorry if I'm bein blunt but...sticking it in me," she said, massaging his back affectionately.

"Jeanna! My God..." His face was crimson.

"You're really cute when you blush, Doc."

"Well...ahhh...I thought that if I ever got involved with a woman...I really needed to know what to do...so...Oh God, I can't believe I'm even telling you this but...well...this world's movies taught me a lot more than I expected and I DON'T mean those ones you find in the adult stores...I wouldn't go near one of those places even if someone paid me!"

Jeanna giggled. "Ummm...I did...on a dare from the Stetson boys. Was sixteen and one of 'em scored a fake ID..dunno how they did it anyway they told me to go in and grab a couple things while the clerk was distracted."

"Y...You robbed an adult store?" he chuckled. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Ah it was just a coupla magazines. They coulda gotten em them at the Speed Mart but no, they send me in there and what's worse was the local sheriff was in there and I thought for sure I was gonna get caught so I hightailed it. And it doesn't matter to me how you learned what to do. I just wanted a man who would think about me once in a while not doin' wham bam, thank you ma'am!"

"I'm afraid to even ask what that means."

"Well you're not that kinda man Doc...and tonight's just the warmup. Once you get used to it, I'm gonna show you how this Texas Tornado makes love to her man."

"I'm looking forward to it," he said huskily.

She took him in her arms and lay back down again. "That Queen Bitch isn't gonna hurt you again...let's send her memory to hell where it belongs."

In her arms, their bodies joined as one, he finally felt free at last from his painful past, freedom that was too many years overdue for a lost soul. Everything else was forgotten as they celebrated his freedom in their own special way. Later on that night Archie awoke as as Jeanna slept in his arms, wondering if it were all a dream until she nuzzled his shoulder and sighed contentedly. He held her closer, his fingers gently stroking her cheek. Her eyes fluttered open.

"Oh! I didn't mean to wake you!" he cried.

"Wasn't sleepin, Doc. You've had your warmup, Doc and now this Texas Tornado is ready to show you how I make love to my man," she murmured.

She'd turned his world upside down the day they met like a tornado and though they were sometimes as different as night and day it was in these private moments that they found their common ground and it was on that ground that they would face the storms life threw at them that would never be strong enough to knock them down, their lost souls home at last. In the morning they would be on the move again, this time to free another lost soul but they knew Robert wouldn't mind giving them that night to focus only on each other.

The next morning when Jeanna awoke Archie was standing beside the bed holding a cup of coffee and a carryout container in his hands. "Good morning," he said softly and kissed her.

"When'd you slip outta bed without wakin' me up?"

"Just a little bit ago. I didn't think you'd want microwaved KFC for breakfast. Last night...was one of the best nights of my life."

"Mine too Doc, mine too," she murmured as she kissed him back and crawled out of bed, catching him staring at her while she walked over to the table. "See something you like?" she teased.

"That nightgown looks beautiful on you."

"A country girl likes to feel sexy once in a while." She saw him kneel down and pick up the pictures, putting them back in her bag. "The minute we get back to my camp I'm burnin' those goddam things, roastin weenies over their ashes and then I'm taking you to bed."

"Jeanna, about that...I don't want Henry to know that we're sleeping together. Not yet at least. Emma and Regina didn't seem bothered flaunting it but..."

"It's all right, Doc. We'll wait til we're alone. What time do you want to head out?"

"Rumple wants us to meet up at midnight. It'll give them some time to get ready." He opened the box holding the dagger and sighed. "I don't like having to do this...control another person."

"It won't be for long, honey. And once it's done we never have to look at that goddam thing again."

Robert, Henry and Kat spent most of the day reading through some of Robert's books and practicing their magic. Robert had Kat create a protective bracelet for herself so that she would also be able to pass through the town line without trouble.

Henry missed Bae terribly as did Robert, making both even more determined to succeed in their task. The hours ticked by slowly, too slowly for all of them. Around three, Robert suggested they all try to sleep for a few hours to rebuild their strength. That evening instead of nightmares that he would fail; his dreams were of Bae and a time when he would finally be able to hold his precious son again. Everyone was awake by ten PM, their eyes glued to the screens of their phones as Archie and Jeanna sent them texts letting them know where they were. The couple arrived at the town line ten minutes before midnight.

In his apartment in Storybrooke, Geppetto woke his son after reading Jeanna's message.

"Papa, where we going?"

"To see Archie, my boy," he said with a smile. He already had their luggage packed in his car, having done so under the cover of darkness by Jeanna's suggestion.

"Are you ready?" Jeanna asked Archie.

"As ready as I'm going to be," he sighed.

She took his free hand in hers. "Come on, Doc. Let's git 'er done." They walked slowly toward the town line and passed through, Jeanna feeling some of the discomfort she had when she first arrived the previous day.

Archie stepped back away from her and held out the dagger. "I summon thee, Dark One!" he called out.


	9. Absolution and Retribution

~ Absolution and Retribution ~

In New York, Robert felt a tightness in his chest as he felt the dagger's summons. "He's calling for me. Hold on tight, dearies!"

The trio clasped hands and appeared just outside the town line in a puff of smoke, Kat wearing a protective bracelet as they crossed through the magical barrier. She held a vial of bright blue liquid in her hands.

"Are you ready, Henry?" she asked him.

"I'm ready."

She tossed the bottle into the air and the two of them stretched out their hands and blasted the contents with bolts of bright light. Above their heads a large cloud formed that covered the entire town, raining down grains of sparking blue sand on the residents of Storybrooke, sending all but two of its residents into a deep slumber that they would not awaken from until morning. And for a few of them, that sleep would be plagued by nightmares, a little extra ingredient added by Kat. Robert nodded to himself, pleased by his apprentices' handiwork.

"Well done, dearies. Are you ready, Archie?"

"Don't make me do this again," Archie pleaded.

"We must keep the demon under control until we trap it. You cannot let go of the dagger until we tell you to, no matter what happens. You are now its master and it has no choice but to obey your commands."

"I feel like I'm doing what Zelena, Regina...and Belle did to you..."

"No! You are doing what they wouldn't, helping me gain my freedom."

"All right...but I don't like it...controlling someone."

Robert smiled. "And that is why I am entrusting the dagger's power to you. Kat, Henry, it's time. Archie, command me to remove my heart."

Archie held the dagger up again. "Remove your heart," he commanded softly.

Robert sat down on the pavement and removed his heart from his chest. Kat gasped in horror when she saw the darkness burrowed deep within the fragile organ, only a few faint traces of red showing through. He placed his heart in her hands and lay down, closing his eyes as he chanted.

"With power of love and light I banish thee!"

"With the power of love and light, we banish thee!" Kat and Henry chanted.

Archie could feel the hilt of the dagger heating up in his hand.

"Archie, look!" Jeanna exclaimed, pointing at the blade, the elegant letters spelling out Rumple's name glowing white.

"With the power of love and light we banish thee!" Kat, Rumple and Henry shouted.

They heard menacing laughter and thick black smoke curled out from between their fingers, surrounding them, probing deep within their souls to seek out its next vessel, one that would allow it to run free as it longed to.

"I...I...can't hold this much longer!" Archie cried out, wincing in pain as the dagger scorched his hand. Slowly the letters on the dagger began to fade away. Jeanna reached out and closed her hand around Archie's.

"I've got it...I've got you..." she murmured.

The demon hovered close to Kat, whispering in her ear. _With this power you can at last have your revenge. Wouldn't it be sweet, watching Belle, Hook and Regina cower at your feet? You can be the greatest magician in the world...you don't need them. You need me._

For an instant she was tempted. To strike back at those who had hurt the man she loved, to make them beg the way they had made him grovel with their self-righteous desires or cruel bullying. She knew the darkness could give her the power. Yet she also knew at her core that way lay madness and horror. She could take the power, and become worse than Rumple, and with it damn herself for eternity. It was not worth the price. She would lose everything she loved.

 _The only people I need are right here, demon!_

 _Are they? If I helped you, you would never doubt yourself again. I could make you the most beautiful woman in the world. More beautiful than Belle. A woman that Rumplestiltskin would never ever look away from. And he would never leave you and he would love you forever. What do you say?_

 _I say no! Robert loves me just the way I am,_ she snapped, knowing full well the demon was trying once more to tempt her into falling. Her beloved had warned her it would offer her the deepest desires of her heart. But the price would be her immortal soul. _I am a child of God. Do you think I would surrender myself to a servant of Hell? Get thee gone, Lucifer's spawn! Speak your lies to one who cares!_

It floated over to Henry, cackling evilly. _He's holding you back from your true potential, child. Join with me and I can make you a sorcerer of limitless power, even greater than Merlin himself!_

 _Come to the Dark Side, we have cookies? Is that the best you can do? You've caused enough misery in my life. You killed my father, you enslaved my grandfather...you WILL NOT make a slave of me!_

"With the power of love and light we banish thee!" they chanted louder. Kat opened her eyes briefly. "Archie...how many letters are left on the dagger?"

"Just...one..." he panted.

The dark cloud floated over to him now, seeing that the others' souls were too strong with the light to take. _Accept me and you know no more pain...and you will have your justice against those who wronged you. Rumplestiltskin didn't want to change Geppetto's parents back. He wanted them for his collection._

 _You lie!_

 _Do I? Think about it, carefully, cricket. You spent your whole life paying for a mistake that could have been easily fixed long ago but it's too late now. But you can make HIM pay...and the others. No one will ever underestimate you again!_

 _NO! I will never use dark magic again!_

"Throw it over the town line...quickly!" Kat screamed, the heart beneath her fingers now glowing white.

"Go to hell!" Archie snarled and hurled the dagger across the town line. It dropped to the ground as the last letter faded away. The dark essence screamed in fury and flew over to Kat and Henry. Together they put Robert's heart, now the heart of a white magician, back in his chest. He rose to his feet and summoned the hat box.

"Now come to the hat like a good little demon," he murmured.

The darkness began to retreat. Kat and Henry held out their hands and blasted it with an immobilization spell while Robert held the hat out and began to chant.

"Noooo...you will not put me in...there!"

"Ohh, what's the matter, dearie? Afraid of a little ole hat?" Robert teased.

"Too much...light!"

The magic in the hat surrounded the entity and started pulling it in.

"You...you worthless...son of a...whore! You're nothing without me. Nothing!" it raged and continued to swear at the sorcerer in several languages. Robert giggled.

"D'ye kiss yer mama with that mouth, dearie?" he taunted.

The demon gave one last howl of rage before it vanished inside the hat. It closed, leaving a small box in Rumple's hand. He carried it across the town line and set it down on the ground.

"Rob...we need your help over here!" Jeanna cried out. Archie was sitting on the ground holding his scorched hand with the other, moaning in pain. "Oh God it took off some of your skin!"

"I...I'll be all right..."

Robert limped over to him with Kat and Henry close at his heels. He could feel exhaustion overtaking him but there were still things he needed to do before his strength gave out. He braced himself on his cane and kneeled down, placing his palm over Archie's. "This may hurt a wee bit more, Archie..."

"As if he's not in enough pain!" Jeanna growled.

"Archie, it's gonna be okay...Grandpa can fix it." Henry reassured him.

"I know he can..." Archie braced himself against Jeanna while Robert healed his hand. He felt some pain while the sorcerer replaced his burned skin and repaired some of the nerve damage that had been done, leaving only a small scar in Archie's palm when the spell was complete. "Thank you, Rumple..."

"No, I should thank you. Had you let go of the dagger, the darkness would have been free to seek out anyone it could turn into its vessel, including Regina and Regina as the Dark One would be more terrifying than me."

Jeanna and Kat helped their men to their feet and threw their arms around them.

"It's over, Bobby! It's finally over. You're free!" Kat sobbed into his chest.

"I couldn't have done it without you...without all of you," he said softly.

"What the hell are we gonna do with these damn things?" Jeanna asked, pointing at the box and the dagger.

"I know what I want to do with them." Kat glared down at the box containing the dark essence and gave it a fierce kick, sending it flying back through the barrier and into Storybrooke then picked up the dagger and hurled it after it. "Let them worry about it now!"

"Grandpa...now that it's back in your world...can it get out?" Henry asked fearfully.

"Not if I can help it." He slammed his cane on the ground. A pool of white light shot out from the tip and formed a barrier at the town line. Kat and Henry stretched their hands out, sending beams of bright while light at the barrier.

"Beyond this line no dark mage within shall pass!" they chanted. The spell complete, Robert collapsed to the ground.

"Bobby!" Kat cried and ran to his side to help him sit up. He lay his head against her shoulder.

"Okay...dearie...just...need to rest..." he murmured.

"Archie, Henry, can you help me get him back to the car?" Kat asked them.

"Come on, Rumple," Archie said, taking the older man's hand and lifting him up slowly. Robert draped his arms over his friend and grandson's shoulders as they walked him back to the car. The moment they laid him down in the backseat they heard a voice calling out from the other side of the town line. They froze in fear.

"Stay back!" Kat hissed, her hands sparkling with magic.

"Wait, please..."

"You step one foot over that line mister and I'll blast you into the trees!" she snarled.

"No! Don't hurt my papa!" pleaded a little boy.

Archie turned around, his eyes wide with shock. "Geppetto...Pinoccohio?! What? How did you...?"

Jeanna laid her hand on Kat's arm. "Kat, it's all right. He's Archie's best friend and he's not going to do anything to hurt Rob. You have my word on it."

"Wants...to come over...with us..." Robert said weakly.

"Jeanna came to see me. I was worried about you! You never called after...I was afraid you hated me!" Geppetto said to his friend as his approached the town line with his son in tow.

"You know I could never hate you."

"We wanna come live where you do!" Pinocchio cried.

Kat kneeled down and smiled at the little boy. "You want to? Our world isn't like Storybrooke but there are so many places you can go and lots to see. Would you like that?"

"Uh-huh. And you're not gonna blast my papa into the trees, are you?"

"No, honey, I'm not."

Archie was in tears. "You...did this for me?" he asked Jeanna.

"I knew seeing your best friend was the only thing missing from your life, Doc so I talked to Rob about it and he said to take a chance."

"Sometimes...Archie...you have to take a chance...and Geppetto has always been a good person to me even when he knew I gave you that potion," Robert, leaning on Henry for support limped over to the town line where the other man stood. "And you had every reason to never forgive me for it. Had I known innocents were harmed, I would have changed them back...but I cannot now...too much time has passed." He saw the two puppets in a backpack the older man carried and smiled faintly. "The Dark One can no longer hurt you...or anyone."

"No, but everyone else in that town can," the clockmaker said bitterly. "It took me some time to see it but you were all right to leave. I do not want my son living in the madness any longer."

"Understand...that you can never return...unless someone wills it."

"I know. Come on, son."

The pair held hands as they stepped over the town line. Pinocchio walked up to Robert with a frown on his face. "How come you can't walk again? Did you get hurt?"

Robert chuckled. "Just a little, dearie but I'll be fine with some rest."

"Do you really live in a big city?"

"We certainly do."

"I think someone needs a big ice cream cone. What flavors do you want?" Kat asked the boy.

"Umm...strawberry...chocolate and vanilla."

She waved and a tall ice cream come with the triple scoops the boy requested appeared in her hand. The boy took it eagerly.

"Thanks Miss...uhhh...what do I call you?"

"My name's Kat."

Robert was giggling beside her. "Showing off a wee bit, dearie?" he teased.

"No, just trying to give Pinocchio a warm welcome and you did tell me I needed some practice, didn't you? Well, I'm practicing." She held out her hand to Geppetto. "It's very nice to meet you finally. Archie's told us so much about you."

He smiled. "And I've heard so much about you."

"Guys, we really oughta get the heck outta here before my moms find out," Henry reminded them.

"And once Merlin here gets some rest we're gonna throw the biggest victory party New York has ever seen!" Jeanna declared. "But somebody better have KFC for me."

"Oh we've got something better, dearie...we made our own," Robert said with a grin indicating himself and Archie.

"And I want to have a victory dance with my beast...in leather," Kat murmured, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"That can be arranged."

"Looking forward to it."

They went back to their vehicles, Robert, Kat and Henry would ride in the Caddy, Archie, Jeanna, Geppetto and Pinocchio in Jeanna's truck. They were booked into a five star hotel a two hour's drive away from the town and once they arrived, Kat and Henry would set up the wards and give Robert time to rest after his long ordeal. Both Pinocchio and Robert had fallen asleep by the time they arrived at the hotel. Though he was exhausted, Robert insisted on walking into the hotel himself using his old cane to keep him balanced. Robert booked them all into a luxury suite and everyone knew the two Storybrooke residents would be a bit terrified their first night on the outside and Robert instructed Henry and Kat on what spells to use to calm them if needed. Pinocchio, once he was awake again was too excited to go back to sleep, asking Kat and Henry dozens of questions about their new world and some of the things he could do.

"I'll hang out with him for a while. You go check on Grandpa," Henry said to her.

"He'd better be in bed," she muttered.

When she walked into his room, she found him standing in front of the mirror with several shirts in his hands trying to decide which one to wear.

"Rumplestiltskin Gold! You get back in that bed! Right now!"

"Dearie, I didn't need that much rest ...just an hour or two."

"That was before you sent a centuries old demon that was siphoning off your life force to Hell. Back in bed. Now!" she ordered.

"Dearie, I'm no' tired anymore."

"Do I have to count to three?"

He scowled at her. "What d'ye think I am lass, a lad barely outta m'nappies?"

"One!"

"Kat, come on now...I'm fine..."

"Two!"

"This is insane..."

"If I get to three I'm calling Geppetto and Archie in here and having them tie you down," she threatened. "Two and a half!"

"You'll no' be having them play Fifty Shades of Grey with my Armanis!" he protested.

"No but those Armanis are going to keep you down until you rest. Th..."

He threw up his hands in surrender. "All right. Stubborn woman!"

"Stubborn mule!" she retorted.

He was shaking his head at her when he crawled back into bed.

She waited until he was asleep again then summoned a dreamcatcher, hanging it over the wall above the bed. They were all expecting him to have some nightmares after his ordeal but the dreamcatcher would help keep some of the darkest ones at bay. She pulled up a chair beside the bed and opened her book. What dreams the dreamcatcher couldn't chase away, she would be there to chase away herself.

Henry decided to share a room with the little boy to help him sleep easier. Kat had placed another dreamcatcher in their room and a shadow box that displayed different types of animals on the ceiling and walls. The little boy tired himself out watching the shadows dance.

It was after one AM when the others decided to find their beds for the evening. Archie looked in on the boys and Geppetto before walking Jeanna to her own room.

"Your hand okay, Doc?" she asked worriedly. "That damned dagger burned you pretty good."

"It's fine."

She gazed at him longingly. "I really wish you'd stay with me tonight or let me stay with you..."

He sighed. "I want to...but Henry and Pinnochio's room is on one side and Geppetto's is on the other. And my room is next door to Rumple's. I wouldn't want them to hear..." He kissed her gently. "We'll have plenty of time to be alone this weekend."

"I'm going to hold you to that, y'know."

"You always do."

Rumple awakened, sensing his son's presence in his room. He turned over and saw Bae standing beside the bed, beaming with pride and in human form.

"You did it, Papa."

"Bae! You're in physical form!"

"It's only for a little while, Papa, but it's long enough for me to do this!" He sat down on the bed and threw his arms around his father.

"Oh Bae..." Robert sobbed.

"It's over Papa, It's over...you're free. You're finally free," Bae wept.

Was it all worth it? he could hear Zelena's voice taunting again as it had the day Bae died.

Every bit of it.

There was no place he wanted to be at that moment than in the arms of the son he'd sacrificed so much for, their tears flowing freely as they thought about all they'd lost...and gained. After three hundred years, devastating losses and finally absolution, Rumplestiltskin was free at last.

Regina Mills was in a blind rage the moment she opened her eyes the following morning. Her sister was back from the dead and she'd finally succeeded in doing what she'd promised: destroyed Regina's happy ending. There was no doubt in her mind now that Henry knew what she'd done as well and any chances she had of reconciling with him were shattered. She dressed quickly and went downstairs, opening the door to find a concerned Emma Swan and Hook on the other side.

"Whatever it is, it can wait," she said icily.

"We have a serious problem, Regina. You'd better come with us to the town line."

As they were walking to the car Regina snorted. "My way is faster!"

She teleported the trio to the town line where Snow, David, Will and Belle were also waiting for them staring at two objects lying on the ground; the box that held the Sorcerer's hat and the dagger...with no name on the blade.

"Regina, what does that mean?" Emma asked, indicating the blade.

She smirked. "That my sister is a lying bitch. She's not the Dark One...Rumple's dead. The name fades from the dagger if the vessel dies without another taking its place."

Belle flinched. "R...Rumple's dead? It's not possible!"

"Something about this doesn't make sense. Belle's car was stolen last night...as were some items from the shop...and the only person who would want them would be Rumplestiltskin," Will spoke up.

"And the items that were stolen took a blood lock to open," Belle added.

Regina's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What items were stolen exactly?"

Belle recited the list of items, including Pandora's Box and the Book of Shadows. The former queen sighed deeply. "Something's not right here and we need answers." She kneeled down and waved her hands over the hat box. Plumes of blue smoke rose from the opening, revealing the trapped Apprentice.

"Thank you for releasing me," he said gratefully.

"Don't be thanking us just yet. What does that mean?" Regina said, pointing at the nameless dagger.

"Rumplestiltskin has broken his curse."

"So he's not dead. I knew it!" Hook hissed.

"How did he do it?" Belle asked softly.

The apprentice turned to her. "The Dark One is the vessel that contains our world's darkest evil. Expelling it is a difficult process, far more difficult than using a simple kiss. True love's kiss can only subdue the darkness for a time but eventually it can take full control if there is no one left to anchor its heart and soul to its humanity. That is what was happening to Rumplestiltskin in the year he was in captivity...and before he was banished. He could not complete the spell on his own. He needed two mages pure of heart with an emotional bond to him and a master with the will to relinquish his claim on Rumplestiltskin's soul." The apprentice smiled. "He chose his cursebreakers well."

"So you're saying...he succeeded?"

"He did indeed and has been reborn...as a white magician. Let me show you."

The apprentice waved his hand and an image appeared before them, the scene at the town line hours earlier showing Kat, Henry, Jeanna and Archie freeing Rumple from the dagger's curse and the visits Hook and Regina received the night before began to make sense. The woman had known far too much about their run-ins with the former cricket to be Zelena. The witch had never even spoken to him as far as they knew...and their body language suggested they were more than friends.

And SHE'S the one who told Robin what I did. That cricket has chirped his last...and I'm going to enjoy ripping that woman's heart out in front of him and crushing it...before I crush his! Regina thought maliciously.

The crocodile is powerless out there and I'm going to skin it then I'm going to enjoy dissecting that cricket...after they watch me enjoying myself with their little pieces. Hook smiled to himself.

"We have to put this somewhere no one can get to it," Emma was saying and kneeled down to pick up the dagger.

"NO!" the apprentice shouted.

The lock to the hat sprung open and a black mist floated out, wrapping itself around the young woman.

 _At last, you have answered my call._

 _No! I was only trying to..._

 _You deceive yourself, Emma Swan. This has always been your destiny. I have seen into your soul, seen the darkness you have denied. You want everything that was denied you all these years. Now you can have it all…but a price must be paid first..._

The apprentice shot an energy blast at the entity. It laughed at him.

 _Fool! You cannot defeat me. Not even your MASTER could defeat me. And now you will join him in death!_ the entity sneered and sent another, more powerful blast at the elder magician that sent him to his knees in agonizing pain.

Emma concentrated, fighting back against the darkness but in her mind, all she could see was the truth of its words as it showed her its evidence, taken from the most painful events of her life. Her grip on the dagger tightened.

 _Yes...that's it...surrender and all will be yours, Dark Swan..._

 _Dark Swan...has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?_

 _No one would ever second guess me again, even Regina..._

"Emma, please...no!" Snow sobbed. She ran forward to try to reach her daughter and was thrown to the ground. "We can't lose her again...we can't...David...DO SOMETHING!"

He could feel invisible hands wrapping themselves around his throat, squeezing tightly until the Apprentice rose to his feet and sent another powerful blast at the entity, all of the strength he had left. "You must...get away from here...quickly."

"We can't leave her...we have to do something!" Snow cried.

"There is NOTHING you can do now! There is only one way to save your daughter and you cannot if you are dead!"

They heard menacing laughter on the wind and looked up to see a woman who no longer resembled their daughter standing before them, the dagger clutched in her hand. She was dressed in a long black leather gown with a wing shaped collar, her once fair skin a faint gray color and scaled. She sauntered over to Hook.

"My new look. How do you like it?" she inquired with a smirk.

"Amazing, love...simply amazing," he murmured.

"Now that I have all this power I can have anything I want," she whispered. "And I will...but you see, there's one little thing holding me back...a weakness if you will...and I can't have any weakness." She thrust the dagger forward and plunged it into his chest.

"Emma...what...why...?"

"You little fool! You'd take this power for yourself if you had the chance. She may not be able to see into your dark heart...but I can!" He screamed in agony as she twisted the blade. "And the soul of a white mage is much more appealing than a worthless pirate!"

And any can be turned by the darkness-save the purest hearts-even a white mage . .. because not all the Dark Ones were those who wished power. Some had weaknesses that enabled the demon to get a foothold on their souls and persuade them to become Dark. Henry, Kat, and Rumplestiltskin were pure hearts . . .and Rumplestiltskin was such that even possessed a part of him remained pure and able to love.

Pure of heart didn't just mean unwilling to commit acts of evil, it also meant being able to sacrifice oneself without regrets and to resist the blandishments of the evil power and cast it aside. Rumplestilskin's sacrifice opened the door to letting the darkness take over his soul, but his resistance enabled part of his humanity to remain untainted-something unheard of. And it's why he and he alone was able to break the curse. If he had truly wanted power for power's sake, he would never have succeeded in breaking the curse.

But for Emma, it had been the demons from her past that at last answered the darkness's call, demons that had made it difficult for her to hold onto the purest love she had to anchor her to her humanity...her son.

She'd sacrificed his love for sensual pleasure in the arms of a pirate whose handsome face and charm concealed his true nature and by accepting her own inner darkness she had at last uncovered his.

All magic came at a price...and hers was to take the lives of the ones she loved most.

Because at her core was something dark and ruthless, something that the so-called coward Rumplestiltskin had lacked, because the demon had never been able to make him hurt or kill Bae and Belle, though it had tried ceaselessly.

When Bae had escaped by falling through the portal and Belle had run from him, the demon had rejoiced in Rumple's utter despair and depression, but also gnashed its teeth because the two vulnerable people had escaped its net.

"I...I...loved you..." he gasped as he sunk to the ground and closed his eyes.

"I have no use for love," she laughed and removed the dagger, the blade coated with his blood.

Emma blinked several times and when she looked down on the ground, she gasped in horror to see Hook lying there, his chest covered with blood. "It wasn't me! It wasn't me!" she cried.

The Apprentice, leaning on David for support, nodded gravely. "I'm afraid it is, my child. The darkness within you has made its first sacrifice. Now it will attempt to take the others until all those you love most have been eliminated."

"Mom, Dad...you have to get away...as far away from here and from me as possible!" Emma cried frantically.

"We can't..." Snow protested.

"Listen to me! You SAW what I just did! I can't stop it! It won't stop until it's taken all of you away...you, Dad, Henry and Neal! I'm not gonna let it happen. You have to go...leave Storybrooke!"

"But we can't come back..."

"Mom! You sent me away to give me my best chance. Now I have to do the same to you. GO!" She felt the darkness taking control again. "Mom, please...I don't want to hurt you..."

"You must come with me...you and your son!" the Apprentice pleaded.

They got into David's truck and sped back into town where Ruby and Granny were sitting with Neal.

The Lucases were horrified by the sudden turn of events and helped the family pack up what few belongings they could though they wondered how they would be able to escape the town without their daughter trying to attack them again.

"She's going to be watching the town line..." Snow said.

"The mines!" David exclaimed. "The tunnels lead out of town! The dwarves were digging an escape route when the ice wall was put up and broke through to the other side!"

And unbeknownst to all of them, it was through the mines that Robert had been able to travel back and forth to New York to prepare for the day of Belle's betrayal.

"Are you insane? You want us to trek through those mines with our infant son!?"

"Snow, we have no other choice!"

"He's right Snow. Emma didn't know about the escape route but some of us did...including Geppetto. We were supposed to go to lunch today but when I went to his apartment, it looked like he and Pinocchio left in a hurry," Granny spoke up. "Then...I heard this."

She held up her phone and played back a recording of Geppetto telling her that he'd found Archie, was leaving Storybrooke and suggested she and her granddaughter do the same. His final instruction was to tell no one of his message and delete it.

"You're not going through alone. We'll come with you," Ruby said. "Granny, Geppetto was right...this town isn't safe anymore...not with Emma being what she is now...and we can't always rely on Regina..."

"You...must...take your son...to the one who can train him to defeat the darkness..." the apprentice whispered.

"But can't you...?"

"Only the one who has conquered the darkness can train the light's new champion..."

"Rumplestiltskin?"

He nodded. "He will protect and train the boy...you must go...before it finds you..." The Apprentice lay still on the sofa. Snow gently closed his eyes.

"All right, let's go." Granny said firmly, not wanting to spend another minute in the town.

"I'll meet you with the car at the town line."

"Ruby, be careful!"

"I will. You be careful too!"

At the town line, Emma, now under the control of the Dark One turned to the rest of the group. "Look at all of you. You seem so surprised. You shouldn't be. This is what she was meant to be...no matter how hard her parents tried to avoid it." She clicked her tongue. "Oh...you didn't know about that, did you? Killing Cora isn't Snow White's only sin. She and her not so noble Prince Charming stole Maleficent's child and had the darkness that was meant for Emma placed into her soul, but I've returned it where it belongs." She approached Regina. "Regina, I must hand it to you. You play the game well. Redeeming yourself only when it benefits you...but we know the truth, don't we?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" she said stiffly.

"Of course you do. Shall I tell them why Robin cannot stand the sight of you now? He knows all, Regina, courtesy of that cricket's little mate. My, did she have you fooled! You honestly believed she was Zelena! She did us a favor. He was your weakness. So what if he knows now you raped that cricket and the sheriff. At least now we won"t have to worry about him interfering."

"Y...You raped Archie!" Belle exclaimed. "Disgusting!"

"Passing moral judgments, Belle?" Emma laughed harshly. "You might want to take a look at yourself first. You enjoyed having that dagger in your hands, enjoyed the power it gave you over your...truuuuue looooveee."

"No!"

"Oh yes...and you never hesitated to use it when you needed to be a hero so much. You simply couldn't resist. Given the choice between being a hero and true love, you would have taken the power yourself to fulfill that need."

She opened her mouth and expelled a black mist that surrounded the terrified librarian. "Come...see the darkness within you! If you loved Rumple so much, why did you want the control the dagger gave you over him? Isn't a true love supposed to trust their partner? And allow them free will to do as they would? If you love someone, you set them free. But you couldn't do that...you weren't strong enough!"

Belle shivered in fear, seeing images far more terrifying than the ones she encountered in Ingrid's mirror, images that brought tears to her eyes.

"You held him in another type of captivity, one far worse than the cage Zelena held him in. You bound him in your own cage."

"Stop...please..." Belle sobbed.

"Promise me, promise me, promise me...my God you sounded like a broken record!" Emma mocked. "I would have killed you long ago had he not held me back."

Belle's love trapped, and didn't free. And it proved the demon right-no one could ever love the darkness within him . . .or love him enough to set him free. Because all of those who claimed to love him feared the darkness-within him and within themselves . . .and in doing so they bound him in chains far more powerful than those of the wicked witch.

She sank to her knees.

"And I could kill you now if I pleased...but it would serve no purpose. You are no longer a weakness to him."

And those who truly loved him now, the demon tried and failed to subvert, and under the ancient Laws, it could not try again, and even if it killed Kat and Henry their souls would be safe in Paradise, and able to be reborn like Bae's because of their sacrifice when they freed Rumple.

She blasted the young woman away from her. "Run away little hero. You're no match for me."

Will grabbed Belle's arms and pulled her to her feet. "C'mon, let's get the hell outta here!"

Belle struggled to keep up and fell back to the ground, her high heels not suited for the task. "Take those goddamn things off, Belle, and RUN!" Will howled.

Emma laughed as she watched the two of them fleeing back to town with their tails between their legs. "RUN YOU FOOLS, RUN!"

She would hunt them another day.

The mist now floated over to Regina.

"Come with me...it's who you are...it's who you were always meant to be," Emma said softly.

Regina looked up at her through tear filled eyes. "They've abandoned me...all of them...everything I've done...it was all for nothing!"

"I will never abandon you." Emma held out her hand.

Regina's so called redemption was always a veneer, only skin deep . . . and she has always known that. It was all for others, to make them want her . . . and it was a hollow thing because it was changing to suit them and it didn't make her happy.

"You will never have to change who you are for me, Regina, for I will always want you as you are...and for what you can be...what we can be...together."

She regretted nothing because why should she regret the lives she had taken that opposed her?

Emma moved forward and gently caressed Regina's cheek. "My queen...I will serve you and love you as you will serve and love me..."

"Who will...Emma...or you...?"

"Both of us," Emma whispered. "For 'tis better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven. Look back, my queen. Look back and see who has been the one to stand beside you when the others fled."

Regina raised her head and gazed into Emma's eyes, truths revealing themselves to her, truths that her confused heart had concealed. Even after everything Regina had done to drive her away, Emma always returned, always believed in her...and never held her back.

"They oppressed you because they feared you, feared your greatness. Break your chains, Regina. Free yourself!"

She could sense Regina's hesitation. "How sharper than a serpent's tooth is a thankless child. Our child. Henry abandoned both of us for what: a conniving coward of a grandfather and the cricket with his mealy mouthed conscience! He will learn...oh yes he will learn from his mistake. We will get him back Regina. Our prince."

"Our prince..." Regina sobbed brokenly.

"Let us be one Regina and together we will take back what is ours...and have our own Paradise...in darkness!"

"He's weak with the blood of Rumplestiltskin's bitchy son in his veins, always believing in the good but never acknowledging the darkness. Let us have our own child, Emma! Our own child will never betray us. Our child will belong to us and only us!" Regina cried passionately.

Emma smiled. "Then you accept? You will be mine as I will be yours?"

"Yes!" the elder queen sobbed joyfully.

The mist floated toward her mouth.

"It is part of me you will take inside you, Regina. It will bind us together but it is only the beginning of the ritual. To complete it you must lie with me. Will you?"

"Yes!"

The mist floated through her parted lips and into her body and she closed her eyes, moaning with pleasure as every thought, every sensation her mate experienced became hers as well. She glimpsed into the future and oh what a wonderful one it was...for a darkling child would come, born from the queens of darkness.

As the darkness claimed its second queen it stripped away the remains of the facade she'd held for so long. Her short raven hair regrew to its original length, her blouse to a black leather corset, her black slacks and pumps to leather pants and boots. On her back a symbol was burned, that of a black swan wearing a crown, forever marking her as the dark swan's mate and in her hand she held a second dagger with the name Regina carved into it.

Emma wrapped her arms around her. "My queen at last," she murmured and pressed her lips to Regina's. The other woman draped her arms around Emma's neck and clung to her tightly as she deepened the kiss.

"Emma...my dark swan..."

"It is our wedding day. We must celebrate...and soon my queen, soon your belly will swell with our child. Fear not. No potion will deny us our heir."

So entranced with each other were they that they hadn't seen the red corvette speeding past them and through the town line. The shapeshifter behind the wheel slammed her foot down on the brakes.

"T...That can't be good!" she whispered when she glanced over at the new lovers.

"Ruby!" Granny called out as she, Snow and David emerged from the woods, David carrying Neal. The three of them stopped in their tracks at the town line, their eyes wide with horror at the sight that met their eyes.

"No!" Snow sobbed and sank to her knees. Had this been any other circumstance, she would have been accepting had her daughter chosen another woman to love and she'd seen the close bond that had developed between Emma and Regina but this was a dark and twisted love that would destroy all in its path.

"Snow, come on...we have to go," David said urgently.

"You're not going anywhere!" Regina said menacingly.

The two women stalked toward the town line, daggers in their hands, sparks emitting from their fingers. David handed their son to his wife and drew his sword.

"Do you think that's going to work against us, Dad?" Emma asked coldly. "I don't think so. The boy. Bring him to us."

"Never!" Snow cried and cradled her son protectively.

"Then we'll just have to take him ourselves," Regina said with a smirk. As the two women were about to step through the town line, they were thrown back by a burst of white light.

"Rumplestiltskin!" Emma hissed. "He has warded the town, preventing us from crossing." She glared at the group. "You will give him a message from us: he has the light's champion...but soon we will have ours and one day we will meet on the battlefield."

"And we will destroy all of you!" Regina added.

"You won't hold our daughter forever!" David shouted back. "We'll find a way to defeat you."

"Well good luck trying, shepherd. She's mine, I am hers and soon we will have our child," Regina taunted.

"That child...will be an abomination..." Granny whispered.

"Were you on this side, old woman, I'd have your tongue!" Emma snarled.

"Or cook your heart and eat it," Regina hissed.

 _Do not listen to the carping old fishwife-because our child shall be so beautiful that people shall fall on their knees in worship, for like their fallen angel master, our child shall be breathtaking and as beautiful as a star fallen from the heavens!_

"Rejoice in your safety on that side. One day no barrier will hold us and we will come for you."

Emma turned to her mate and stroked her cheek. "For now, let us consummate our union!" She took Regina's hand and they vanished in a puff of black smoke.

"David...they can't...can they?" Snow asked worriedly.

"I don't know anymore," he confessed sadly.

They walked to the car with heavy hearts, fearing they had lost their eldest child forever.


	10. Rebuilding

Rebuilding

"...Papa, what is it?" Bae asked, feeling his father tense in his embrace.

The sorcerer summoned the Book of Shadows from his bag and opened it, his face pale when he turned to a page in the middle section. He closed the volume and sighed deeply. "A shift in the Balance...the dagger has been claimed..."

"By Emma," Bae said gravely. "And Regina. Papa, how can this be? Two Dark Ones?"

Before he could answer the door flew open and Kat and Henry ran into the room, both awakened by a sense of dread and fearing something was wrong with him. Seeing his father at last in physical form brought tears to young Henry's eyes and at last he was able to do something he'd longed to do for a year...hold him. Though there was a grave situation facing them, Robert wouldn't dare deny his son and grandson these tender moments.

Kat pulled up the chair beside Robert's bed. "Bobby, are you all right? I sensed something."

"I'm all right sweetheart. And you did sense something...a shift in the Balance. Come. Let's give them a few minutes alone."

He took her out into the sitting room. "The dagger has been claimed...and a terrible prophecy has been fulfilled." He summoned the book and handed it to her, turned to the page he'd been reading earlier. "The Queens of Darkness have been united...and they will unleash their beast upon the world..."

"Emma and Regina will have a child...but how?"

"Using the darkest magic, dearie. That child, since it will be born in this world, can harness the magic of both. Along with new Dark Ones, new Saviors will also be chosen, ones who are immune to the seductive call of the darkness."

"Who are they?"

"One I suspect is little Neal Nolan. The other..."

Would be their child.

"The power of two as one..." Kat whispered.

A vision flashed before the budding empath's eyes. She could see an older Neal Nolan standing at the side of a young woman with hair and eyes the same as Robert's, their hands joined with eternity knot wedding bands on their ring fingers.

"I cannot see the outcome Kat, but we must prepare for this battle. The Light is sending Neal to me to raise and train."

"Snow and David...they have to give up their child again?"

"All magic comes with a price, Kat. The Powers are not merciful to those who attempt to change fate. Emma was born with the darkness in her. Snow and David had that darkness removed and contained inside another...Maleficent's child. Now that darkness has been returned to the one it was destined for. To defeat it, Snow and David must pay its price...surrendering the care and training of the Light's savior to me."

"Because who better to train the savior to fight than one who was cursed with the darkness himself," Kat murmured. "It makes sense . . .know thy enemy."

"You had no idea what you were signing on for with me, did you dearie?" he inquired sadly.

She put a hand over his. "Yes, I did. Nothing worth doing is ever easy, Bobby. But you are always worth it. So we have a hard road ahead of us. Life is hard. This is just a different facet. And together we shall face whatever comes. I will not run. Come what may, Mr. Gold, I will stay with you forever."

"Kat, dearie...are you...asking me to...marry you?"

"I know that's not usually how it's done . . .but I was never very conventional. I love you, Rumplestiltskin Gold. For all that you are. And I would be honored if you would make me your wife."

"Now...? Tomorrow?" he asked nervously.

"When you're ready, Bobby. And you know, I do need time to get a dress and plan a reception, small as it is."

"Ummm...I've heard tell Italians tend to have...grand ceremonies," he joked.

"Only if they have money to pay for it," she laughed. "But if not . . .we can have a good time with just our family and your friends from the office. And I insist upon cooking."

"The bride should no' be cookin' on her wedding day!"

"Oh, dearie, I have magic, so I'll no' be cookin' on my wedding day," she giggled. "I'll put all my dishes in stasis and then when we're ready to eat, remove it and it's as fresh as the day I made it."

He giggled. "Showing off a wee bit?"

"Just a bit. We mages have our pride, don't we, caro mio?"

Her eyes shone. "And you're marrying the finest cook on this side of the Hudson, darling and everyone will know it when they sit down to dinner at our wedding."

"Oh will they now? I'll have to step up my game then."

"A little competition is good for the soul," she grinned.

"Well I'm going to need to get a ring...and then we're going to make our announcement...properly."

"Of course. I am an old-fashioned girl. Just as you are a gentleman, Bobby. And if my dad was still living, you could ask him for my hand."

"I would but I dinna think he would like the idea of me being a sorcerer."

"But he would love the idea that you're a trial lawyer . . .and he knew about the magic, my aunts were sort of witches back in Italy-white ones."

"Why dinna ye tell me this earlier?"

"It's not something we really discuss outside the family . . .we're good Catholics and even though the magic is something that has always run through the Southern Italians . . .the Church prefers to pretend it doesn't exist, so long as we don't advertise it."

"Aye and ye woulda been persecuted."

"My aunt read cards and gave out charms for good fortune and health. My cousin was a Dreamer and dreamed true Dreams. And everyone in their village knew not to cross my family . . ."

"Explains why I was able to sense your aura so easily. Tis a strong one Kat."

"Well, I come by it honestly. My great grandma was a Sicilian white witch . . .and many came to her for charms and potions, to help make their lives easier, and asked her for readings. Some asked for curses, but she didn't traffic in the dark spells, and she sent them away with a flea in their ear. It's from her that I suspect I get my Gift."

And their child would inherit the powers of both realms, an equal match for the spawn of darkness.

"My great grandma Sophia followed the Threefold Way-the magic of three-do good and good shall return to you threefold. Do evil and evil shall return to you threefold."

"For us 'tis tenfold dearie."

"Then we must be very careful to do good, my love."

She looked at him keenly. "When you were cursed, did you not train dark mages? So now that you are no longer, could part of your penance be teaching the Light saviors now?"

"Yes but it is a penance I will happily do now."

"Then you didn't enjoy teaching your previous apprentices?"

"The three that I had...you saw how that turned out."

She nodded. "Those who crave power for themselves . . .are never satisfied. And they are treacherous beyond compare."

Her hands clenched into fists. "That green bitch is lucky she's dead. For I would take out of her hide all the hurt she has done on you-with a spell of Justice and Retribution."

"She's serving it all in Hell dearie."

"Yes, the Dark Powers have no mercy for those who fail Them."

"Dad...does this mean you can stay...here?" Henry asked hopefully.

Bae sighed. "Only for a short time, Henry. As a Guardian I can assume physical form . . .but not always. I'm like a-celestial spirit now."

"Why do I feel like something bad is going to happen?"

"Because you're sensing a shift in the Balance, son. As a mage you'll feel it when the Balance of Power changes-for good or evil. In this case-it's the Dark who is ascendant for now." He debated on whether to reveal to Henry why. It was not news he wished to have to be the bearer of.

"The dagger...someone in Storybrooke has it. Is it Mom?"

Bae sighed heavily. "Yes. This is not something I want to tell you but . . .you're an apprentice of the Light, and you need to . . sometimes the Light requires you to make hard choices. It's not just Regina who is the new Dark One, but Emma also."

"Both of them?" Henry gasped.

"Yes. They are . . .together now . . .allied and . . ." he swallowed hard, feeling ill. " . . .dark lovers. I'm so sorry."

"Why?"

"Because they blame others for their fall . . .and they wish to have a child together, a child who will be the darkness' own. Loyal only to them-and untainted by my cowardly Light blood."

"You weren't a coward and neither is Grandpa!"

"I know, kid. But it's how they think of us. They deceive themselves. And part of the reason they chose the dark-is because they wished to."

"Mom...she only tried to change when it suited her...and Emma...why? She's supposed to be the savior!"

"She was only the savior, Henry, because Papa made her one, in order to break the Dark Curse. Actually, she was born with an equal capacity for good and evil like everyone is . . but Snow and David . . .they committed the sin of pride-and they did something very wrong."

"What did they do?"

"They found out that there was a way to-remove the darkness from her-but the way was dark, yet they did it anyway. They pulled the darkness from he while she was still in the womb and they transferred it to another innocent unborn baby-Maleficent's daughter. Whom they then stole and threw into a portal that led here."

Henry's eyes widened. "That was horrible! Did the baby...die?"

"No, she lived. In fact she's alive now. She's a dragon shifter, Henry, since Mal is also a dragon. And that was how your grandparents convinced themselves to do what they did-they tricked themselves into thinking that because it was a baby dragon it would be evil anyhow, and so they gave her double the amount of darkness. But they were wrong. Because unless it is a demon-no baby is evil when it is born. Not even a dragon."

"So the Powers made Emma the Dark One because of it?"

"Yes and no. They returned the darkness to her, the same that she had when she was conceived, for we all do, kid. But then she chose to go dark, Henry. She chose to listen to the demon and follow. It's important that you understand that. We all have free will . . .and we all make our own choices . . .unless we are tricked-like I was, like my papa was-those choices make us who we are."

Bae cleared his throat. "Regina was always a great one for saying "evil isn't born, it's made." But she didn't understand what that meant. We are all born innocent, with the potential within us to do good or evil. But we MAKE ourselves evil or good. The Dark deceives, and seeks to blame others for the wrong choices we make, but the Light knows better. You and you alone are responsible for what you do, and you have to face that. Dark practitioners . . .refuse. And in doing so they damn themselves."

"So we're gonna have to fight them...and their kid...?"

"I'm afraid so. Light must fight Dark, so innocents don't suffer. It's one reason why I was allowed to be a Guardian."

"I just wish we could lead a normal life. Archie and I left Storybrooke so we could get away from villains."

"I know. And for a time . . .you will be able to. But sometime in the future, years from now . . .the darkling child shall rise and two Saviors shall confront it."

"Am I one of them?"

"No. You're a Light mage, but it's not your task to fight the darkling. That's given to others," Bae replied honestly.

"Who?"

"One is your uncle, Neal Nolan. The other . . .is not yet born. But like the darkling she shall be a child of two magical heritages."

"If Neal is supposed to fight them he's not safe in Storybrooke!"

"No, he isn't. So hopefully his parents will get him out of there."

Henry stood up and went into the sitting room. His grandfather and Kat were still sitting on the sofa. "Grandpa, do you know...what's going on?"

"Aye, lad. I know. Two new Dark Ones have risen," he replied quietly.

"Emma and Regina."

Rumple gave him a sad look, his brown eyes crinkling. "Yes. I'm sorry. I know this is difficult for you."

"I'll be okay..."

"If ye need to talk, I'm here." He offered. "Ye know, long ago, before ye came to Storybrooke, Regina came to me, wanting a child to . . .fill the void in her heart left as penance by the Dark Curse. And I told her-that in order to be a good parent, you must be prepared to give up everything for your child. That child is your whole world. I asked her to think carefully whether or not she could. I had my doubts. But she insisted . . . and so I located you. I thought perhaps I had been mistaken. But I wasn't. Like Cora before her . . .she loved you only as much as she felt was necessary . . ."

He nodded.

"It's okay...I have you...I have Dad...Archie and Jeanna."

"She tried to give ye back, ye know. After having ye a mere week, she found she couldna deal with ye crying all the time . . .and said there was something wrong with ye and she was going to bring ye back . . .but for some reason something changed her mind."

"What?"

"I don't know, lad. But she returned from Boston with ye."

Kat looked thoughtful. "I wonder . . .if another couple had offered for you, Henry while she was there and hadn't signed the forms releasing you?" she mused. "Sometimes when someone else expresses interest in something you have . . .you become jealous and hang on to it."

"She was like that," Henry said.

"Aye, like a child with a toy," agreed Rumple. "She would throw a tantrum and declare she hated something, like a child throwing a toy down and saying I don't like this and won't play anymore, but let another child come by and say I want that, suddenly she was all it's mine and you can't have it. She did that with me when she decided to learn magic from me. She wanted me to bring back Daniel from the dead. But even I couldn't do that. it's forbidden. So I told her it was impossible-dead is dead. She grew furious and stormed off. So I began training a new apprentice instead. When she found out there really was no way to raise the dead, she came back to me, saw me instructing my new pupil, another young woman, and she ripped out her heart and crushed it, saying that she wanted me to teach HER."

Rumple's mouth twisted. "Zelena was just like her. Neither of them would tolerate anyone else as a student besides them. They wanted my undivided attention, just like spoiled brats who don't know how to share."

"Like two dogs fightin over a bone," Jeanna said from behind them unaware that she'd forgotten to out a robe on over her nightgown.

"Quite. And I was the bone," Rumple snorted.

Bae glanced over at the private investigator and smirked. "You might wanna put a robe on," he teased. "And if you're gonna play musical beds...make sure no one's looking first."

Jeanna flushed scarlet. "Dammit! Archie! Our secret's out!" she yelled.

Rumple waved a hand briefly. "There! Don't want to shock the kids, dearie!"

Archie poked his head out of his bedroom door. "What's going on?"

Rumple snickered. "Oh dinna play innocent wi' me, Hopper!"

"We know you were playing house," Kat added.

Bae roared with laughter.

"Playing house? What...?" The therapist blushed. "Jeanna, I told you we should've...!"

"Priceless, dearie!" Rumple sniggered.

The bedroom door shut and Archie came back out dressed in his pajamas. "Why didn't you wait until everyone was asleep!"

"It's how my dad used to describe it when we were small and wanted to know what they were doing," Kat replied. "One time they forgot to lock the door and my sister came in, she was four . . ."

"Oh God!" Archie groaned.

"At least yours had taste in euphemisms," Rumple said. "Mine just told me he was going whoring up the street. And one night he came back and woke me up and I made the mistake of asking him how his whoring went and he smacked me so hard my ears rang."

"Why are we having this discussion?"

Jeanna laughed. "My cravin for KCF...gettin me in trouble again!"

"It's fingerlickin good . . . !" Bae howled.

"Jeanna!"

"Dad! TMI!" Henry cried.

Bae gave him a rueful grin. "Sorry, couldn't resist."

"Well...he does have a point..." Jeanna cooed at Archie.

"What kind of man tells a child he's going whoring?" Kat demanded angrily to Robert.

"My papa. He didn't care that I was only four. I was, according to him, a larvae that sucked away his youth."

"Asshole!" Jeanna snarled. "Reminds me of my daddy...he used to say he was going down to get some p..."

"Jeanna I swear if you say it you are not getting any KFC from me!" Archie growled.

"Well, at least he didn't take you with him and tell you to shut up and stay in the corner in the lobby," Rumple recalled bitterly. "And if I talked he'd whip me later with the buckle end of his belt."

"That's disgusting!" Archie exclaimed.

"That was Malcolm for you. He never should have been a parent."

Bae stared at his father in horror. "Papa, I never knew he . . ."

"Well, Bae, that's not exactly the thing you tell your son about his grandpa, now is it?" Rumple said evenly.

"My God!"

"God had nothing to do with it, lad. And that's why I never told you anything about my childhood."

"Sometimes it's hard to..." Jeanna said.

"If I had that miserable . . ." Kat snarled several things in Italian regarding Malcolm's ancestry and what she would have liked to do with him and a butcher knife.

"I should get you some camo, Kat," Jeanna joked.

Kat grinned icily. "Never piss off a Sicilian. We have the vendetta down to an art."

"And a Texan can rough you up six ways to Sunday."

"Damn straight."

Bae looked from one to the other and said, "Why do I get the feeling I'm in a cage with two maneating lionesses?"

"Cause you are, hon. Only we'll sheathe our claws around you," Kat chuckled.

"Yes...but...with some of you...we like to get a little wild," Jeanna purred.

"Jeanna, for God's sake...do you want to scar Henry for life!" Archie looked like he wanted to crawl in a hole.

Kat wrapped her arms around Robert. "No one messes with my wizard. Or else he gets torn to shreds for the vultures to pick at. And that's if I'm in a good mood."

Then she smiled sweetly.

Bae shivered. "Jesus, am I glad you're on our side."

"Don't worry, Bae. I'm sweet as sugar . . .unless you hurt my family. Then you'd better run like the wind, because hell won't be deep enough to hide you from me."

"So are you two gonna be playing musical beds now?" Henry asked.

Bae facepalmed himself. "Henry!"

"We should...talk about this..." Archie began nervously.

"Maybe in the morning. We have a few things to sort out. The dagger has been claimed." Robert said.

"What?!" Jeanna and Archie exclaimed.

"And not just by anyone...Emma and Regina," Henry told them.

"They...ahhh...are..well..."

"Two Dark Ones? Is the even possible?" Archie asked.

"Yes, since it's happened."

"Sounds like a match made in Hell to me," Jeanna muttered.

"That's exactly what it is," Bae muttered. "And it comes complete with hellspawn eventually."

"But they can't come here...can they?" Archie's hand was trembling as he held Jeanna's.

"No, Archie, they can't. We warded that town line well," Robert insisted, hoping to put his friend's mind at ease.

"We're safe out here...but the others aren't. In spite of everything, I still worry about everyone we left behind."

"Hopefully they're smart enough to get the hell outta there," Bae spoke up. "But knowing those two...they'll be watching the town line like hawks now."

"It's not the only route out of the town, dearie," his father reminded them.

"What do you mean, Papa?"

"Archie and I got out through the mines," Henry answered. "Then we hiked into the nearest town and got a car."

"When the ice wall was put up and Snow wasn't all that concerned about it when she was acting mayor, a group of us got together and decided we needed some sort of escape route if needed. The dwarves dug several tunnels leading out of town but they only told a few people about it," Archie added.

"I knew about it...it was how I was able to go to New York to make preparations before Belle cast me out. It was the one time where my Sight served me well."

"Well if either of those bitches tries to hurt you Doc, I'll douse them with squid ink, skin them alive and mount them on my wall!" Jeanna growled.

"You don't hunt. You fish."

"So? I can gut a hellbitch as good as a trout!"

"I have a blowgun with holy water waiting for them, water infused with particles of Light magic in its purest form," Kat said. "Since they are possessed by a demon, it will burn them to ash worse than hellfire, because it will target the spirit hiding within the human body. Injected into them by darts."

Jeanna grinned at her. "You ever watch Van Helsing? That sounds like something he would have."

"Yes. But I thought of it mainly because that asshole Hook tried to kill Bobby by using dreamshade and coating his hook with it."

"I shouda cut his junk off when I had the chance," Jeanna said angrily.

"Whoa...you guys are worse than Amazons!" Henry laughed.

"That scumbag ought to have been castrated by some outraged husband for violating his wife long ago." Kat said angrily. "If he'd been in Italy, that's what would have been done to him-and then he'd have been strung up as an object lesson to rapists."

"And someone else shoulda been strung up with him!"

"Jeanna..."

"It's okay Archie...I already know," Henry confessed.

Bae frowned. "Who told you?"

"I ahhh...overheard him and Grandpa talking..."

Rumple smirked. "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, does it, Bae?"

"Aww come on Papa. When have I ever eavesdropped on you!"

The others laughed. "I'd like to hear this story," Henry giggled.

Bae was learning quickly that none of his antics as a child would ever be kept a secret as long as his father was around to remind him of them. For the rest of the night they left the darkness outside the door and focused only on happy times.

The next morning they started back for New York.

They were all shocked hours after they returned when a terrified Granny called Geppetto on his cellphone begging him to help them find Robert and Archie. Geppetto put his phone on speaker so that the others could hear the conversation. Ruby had been trying to get to Manhattan and had gotten lost. Robert cast a locator spell that placed them fifty miles from the city and enchanted Ruby's car so that it would drive them directly to Robert's apartment. They arrived a short time later all of them exhausted and still terrified by what they'd witnessed the night before.

"I can't believe this is happening," Snow sobbed brokenly, cradling Neal in her arms. "We've lost her...we've lost our daughter again!"

"Rumple, tell me there's another way. Tell me Neal doesn't have to..."

"I'm afraid there isn't, David. Your son must be the Savior now," Robert said. "He may be able to save his sister but ultimately she must decide whether to save herself or be lost in darkness forever."

"This...this is our punishment...for what we did to Maleficent and her baby..."

"I'm afraid so." Robert sighed. "But unlike before, you won't be far away from each other. You can come to see your son anytime you wish. All magic comes with a price, dearies...and it must be paid no matter how difficult it may be."

"How...how will we live here?" Granny asked worriedly.

"You needn't worry. We will all help you get settled in," Robert assured her.

"Mr. Gold, we can't possibly accept..."

"Granny, let us help you," Archie pleaded. "I know how frightening being on the outside can be. I lived it when Henry and I first came here but now...I could never go back. Yes, there are as many dangers here as there are in Storybrooke but we have so many more opportunities here that we never had in that town. We can be anyone we want to be."

While he sat there, David began to regret trying to talk the rest of the town into leaving as they wished to when the curse broke but realized that had they done so without both sets of memories, their lives would not have been better. They would not have had the moral support of their friends and families after the crossing. They would have all been lost and alone. Free of the darkness that always seemed to surround their little town, he had high hopes of a better life in this strange new world he found himself in.

"And your past can only affect your future if you let it," Kat said softly. "You can start again . . . and let your past die . . . because out here no one knows who you once were-and no one cares as long as you obey the law and don't make trouble. America is the land of second chances-if you are willing to let your past die." She looked pointedly at the newcomers.

"That especially goes for my fiance, Rumple, who goes by Robert Gold here. You don't throw his cursed past in his face ever-or you'll have a problem with ME-and I'm not a meek wallflower like his previous wife-not when you insult my family. Remember what you owe—and to whom you owe it to. We all have shadows in our pasts and sacrifices we made. And none of you are any better than any of us, I don't care who you were or what you called yourself. So do yourself a favor-and be nice. Or else I'll get out a baseball bat and make you."

"And if you cause trouble for the Doc here, I'll be gettin my camo out," added Jeanna.

David burst out laughing. "Are you sure you two can handle these Amazons?" he asked Robert and Archie.

Robert smirked. "If you know how to stroke my Kat the right way, she'll purr and not claw you to death, right, sweetheart?"

"Only if you do the stroking, caro," she giggled.

Archie grinned at Jeanna. "And I know how to calm a Texas Tornado."

"You certainly do, Doc..." she murmured.

"Yeah well can you guys do that after I go to bed, please! I don't want to have to cover my eyes!" Henry covered his eyes for emphasis.

"And just when were you going to tell us you were engaged?" Bae demanded of his father.

"Umm . . ."Robert flushed guiltily. "It was very sudden. I was waiting for the right time."

"I asked him," Kat said. "So he was kind of caught off guard."

"Ummm...Rumple you're not the only one who...ahhh...forgot to mention it either..." Archie said nervously. He held up Jeanna's hand, a large princess cut engagement ring on her finger.

"Oh, that's beautiful!" Kat gushed. She showed Jenna and company her own, a mystical blue diamond in Celtic claddagh setting of pure gold. "It's a Mediterranean blue diamond, been in my family for generations. Bobby just respun the setting for me."

Jeanna smiled as she recalled how Archie had proposed to her.

She'd just fallen asleep when her cellphone beeped with a message.

 **I can't sleep.**

 **Say no more honey. I'm on my way**.

When she walked into his bedroom he was sitting up in bed holding a bucket of KFC in his hands.

"When'd you get that?"

He grinned. "I have my ways. Of course I could just eat the whole bucket by myself if you're not hungry..."

"Oh no you don't. Gimme!" She jumped onto the bed and snatched the bucket out of his hands.

"Aren't you going to share?" he teased and pulled her onto his lap.

"Mmmm...maybe," she said while she bit into a drumstick and finished it then reached into the bucket for a breast and bit down, wincing in pain. "What the hell?" She lifted it up and found a large diamond ring sitting on top of it. "Doc..."

"Jeanna Theresa O'Malley, will you marry me?" he asked softly. "I know we haven't been seeing each other that long...but...I love you and I'd like to spend the rest of my life with you."

"Oh Doc...YES! Yes, I'll marry you!" she sobbed and tossed the bucket of chicken onto the floor as he kissed her and slid the ring onto her finger. "Let me stay here for a little while..."

"You can stay all night..."

"I plan on it..." she whispered as he laid her down on the bed and made love to her slowly, reveling in the knowledge that their days of sleeping apart would soon be over.

"...Yes, it all happened rather quickly. We didn't mean to exclude you," Robert was saying, pulling Jeanna out of her reverie. "Perhaps we'll have an engagement party later on to celebrate?"

"After the weekend, Merlin. I want to do a little celebrating of my own first," Jeanna said, winking at her fiance.

"TMI Jeanna, TMI!" Henry scolded. "So Kat proposed to Grandpa...how did you ask Jeanna, Archie?"

Jeanna giggled. "He sends me a text message after you all went to bed...and ah...hid the ring in a bucket of KFC."

"And you almost ATE it!"

Robert giggled. "Well that would have been interesting, wouldn't it?"

"And I'm surprised you didn't break a tooth, Jeanna!" Kat laughed.

"Congratulations!" Ruby and Snow hugged both women, thinking that weddings would be the perfect thing to lighten their moods.

"Speaking of surprises...how are you here?" David asked Bae.

"I'm my father's guardian angel so to speak...and I can watch over him and Henry but only those who know me can see me."

"Maybe if you had lived...and you and Emma had worked things out..."

"That's odd coming from you. You didn't like me that much...but you gave Hook your blessing."

"Well he...ahhh...did save my life in Neverland."

"No MY FATHER DID. He was the one who made the potion that cured the dreamshade. The water only sustained you until you had the cure...and the only reason why Hook saved you was to get into Emma's good graces. That's how he works."

"But you were..."

"Yes, we were friends...once. But he sold me out to Pan and took the only woman I loved...no took BOTH of them. First my mother, then Emma."

"Your mum was no loss, lad." Rumple muttered.

"That's for sure," Kat mumbled. "You know how they say a sailor has a girl in every port? I guarantee that by the time that ship left port Milah had had every sailor on the ship. Including the captain."

"And I assure you lad, Hook bragged that it was exactly what he wanted to do with her...give her to his crew."

Kat made a face. "It was probably what he did with all the women he met . . .only he didn't kidnap your mom, she went with him willingly . . .because she didn't want to be just a spinner's wife and a mother in a little village. She wanted more. Her kind always do. Never satisfied. And in the end, she got what she wished for. Only it wasn't all it was cracked up to be."

"Honestly I don't know what's so great about him...Jack Sparrow wannabe with a penis the size of a fingernail!" Jeanna giggled, "Well now, anyway."

Rumple started laughing.

Ruby spit out the soda she was drinking. "Oh my God...who did that!?"

"Me...with a little help from Merlin here. The sonovabitch had it coming for what he did to Doc. Woulda skinned him too!"

"He's lucky I wasn't there . . .I'd have broken both his kneecaps and made him sing soprano, then gave him to the sharks to eat," Kat growled. "Misogynistic bastard!"

"He's dead," Snow said.

"What?" they all gasped.

"Emma...killed him," David informed them.

"Emma killed him?" Archie was stunned.

Her parents nodded. "And she would have killed us too had we not escaped. She was trying to fight it but she couldn't."

"The Dark One is at her most dangerous right after the possession begins," Rumple recalled. "Because it uses all its host's fear and anger to influence them . . . and makes them like what it does. We all have darkness within us-even those who claim not to, and the demon just makes it come out to play . . . and then joins it."

"And now she's with...Regina," Snow sobbed.

"It's not going to happen overnight," Bae spoke up. "Neal cannot go into that town until he's fully trained and only my father can determine when he's ready."

"When...will we have to...?"

"Why don't we wait until Bobby and I are married?" Kat suggested. "Bobby can draw up some papers like he has with Archie stating that we have joint custody of Neal...he stays with you certain days of the week and with us other days of the week."

"That's fine with us."

"Excellent." Robert handed David a business card with his office address on it. "We'll go to the office in the morning and talk about it. You can all stay here tonight."

"Or at my place," Archie offered.

"We wouldn't want to impose..."

"Right now this is the safest place for you," Kat reminded them. "All of our residences are warded."

"Plus I have my camp," Jeanna spoke up. "Anybody who tries to trespass there is libel to get shot."

"Snow, I would prefer you, David, and the baby stay with me," Robert said. "Archie, do you have room for Granny, Geppetto, Pinocchio and Ruby?"

"I should."

"If not, I can make the room, dearie. And before you lot start protesting, ye'll only need to do this until you can find a place of your own. We know how frightening the outside world is to you but we'll help you find your way."

For the first time in their lives, the others began to see another side of Mr. Gold and found themselves wondering if it had been there all the time and they just hadn't seen it.

Using his cursed name Marco and renaming Pinocchio August, he opened a carpentry business in the city and was living in an apartment in the same building as Archie as were Ruby and Granny. The Charmings bought a house nearby. Robert worked out a custody arrangement with the Nolans that he and Kat would have Neal during the week once they were married and his parents would have him during the weekends with the option of keeping him any day of the week if they wished to. Snow applied for a kindergarten teacher's position at a private school in Manhattan and David was working in a veterinarian's office and was going to college to become one himself since he loved working with animals. Granny and Ruby opened a diner that after two months of operation was more successful than the one in Storybrooke. Robert had given each family a small loan to start their lives, his return payment from the Nolans was the custody agreement and Geppetto and Granny were able to repay theirs back immediately. It was a bit difficult for them to adjust to life outside the town borders at first but now they didn't want to go back to Storybrooke again. There was nothing left for them there just as there was nothing left there for Robert, Archie and Henry. They'd all made new lives for themselves, far better ones than they could have possibly imagined.

It was a new beginning for all, and yet those they had left behind were not forgotten.

 **A/N: Next up, a Country Cricket Wedding and some more Bae bonding time!**


	11. A Country Cricket Wedding

**~A Country Cricket Wedding~**

 _When the rain is blowing in your face_

 _And the whole world is on your case_

 _I could offer you a warm embrace_

 _To make you feel my love_

 _When the evening shadows and the stars appear_

 _And there is no one there to dry your tears_

 _I could hold you for a million years_

 _To make you feel my love_

 _Garth Brooks - To Make You Feel My Love (Archie and Jeanna's love theme)_

Along with helping their friends adjust to their new lives, Archie and Jeanna were also busy making plans for their wedding. They rented a nearby firehall for the wedding and the reception. The ladies were going to be making most of the decorations themselves while Rumple offered to make Jeanna's wedding gown. She was going to be a camouflaged bride carrying a fishing pole while her husband to be would be wearing a Stetson hat, black leather vest with jeans and blue button down shirt with boots. Kat and Rumple would make the cake together. It was a marble sheet cake with a lake design and Geppetto made cake toppers of Jeanna holding a fishing pole catching Archie by the seat of his pants. Rumple and Kat were also making the couple a symbolic gift, a rope made from Rumple's spun gold shaped into an eternity knot wrapped around an umbrella inside the image of a funnel cloud. The symbol was framed with a preservation spell done by Kat who had just perfected casting them.

"Dearies, we're going to need to buy stock in a Mason jar company!" Rumple teased as he, Geppetto, Archie, and Pinocchio carried boxes full of the jars into Jeanna's camper. She'd sold her apartment weeks earlier and was living at her campsite until after the wedding. The women were making Mason jar wedding glasses, table centerpieces, hanging candle lights, and glowing walkway lights. Rumple also made them an archway from his spun gold that Jeanna would hang red Solo cup lights from. Henry and Pinocchio were working on the wood signs. The sign for parking simply read: PARK IT. The sign for the bathroom was a picture of a half-moon reading: OUTHOUSE and there was also another sign with the couples' names and the date of the wedding along with the words GOT HITCHED.

The wedding was a small one with fifty guests including people from Robert's office, Archie's office, and their friends. Though she knew the chances of him staying sober long enough were slim, Jeanna still wanted her father to walk her down the aisle. The couple flew to El Paso a week before the wedding to bring Shane back with them and for him to meet his future son-in-law but that meeting didn't go well at all.

"What the hell you marrin a city boy for?"

"Daddy...don't start that..."

"Ever since you went to that city, you've become as high an' mighty as the rest of em!"

"What I did, Daddy, was make somethin' of myself and I sure as hell couldn't do it here when everybody called me trailer park trash!"

"You forgit where you came from!"

"Oh no I don't! I know exactly where I came from but I don't wanna come back to it! Dammit, why can't you be happy for me for once in your damn life?"

"You shoulda married Buck Wilson!"

"And did what, Daddy? Sat at home barefoot and pregnant while he sat on his ass on a barstool all day long reliving his glory days on the high school football team? Not a chance in hell. Why the hell d'ya think I dumped him!"

"He's one of those city boys! And not worth spit!"

"Mr. O'Malley, where I come from shouldn't matter. What should matter is that I love your daughter and want to marry her and it would mean so much to her if you would give her away," Archie spoke up.

"No way in hell am I giving my daughter to a high and mighty city boy!"

"Fine! Then don't come but I am marrying Archie anyway."

"Then you're not bringin' him into this house again!"

"Daddy if you can't accept Archie, then this is the last time you're ever gonna see me again!" Jeanna sobbed.

"You make your bed girl, you lie in it!"

"It's your loss, Mr. O'Malley!" Archie threw over his shoulder as he led his sobbing bride to be outside and embraced her.

"Damn him! He pulled that shit when I was gonna marry Steve too and the son of a bitch had the nerve to say he was glad when Steve killed himself! Me marryin' Buck Wilson...that's been his pipe dream all these years and where is that piece of shit now? Just where I said...sittin on his ass at the bar every day while my ex-best friend sits at home watchin' soaps and havin' one kid after another!"

"You tried honey, that's all you can do. I know of a few people who would love to have the honor of giving you away, Henry included."

She smiled. "I'd rather have him than my father."

Kat stayed with Jeanna at the campsite the weekend of the wedding while Archie slept over at Robert's with Henry and Bae, who was only in human form around family and friends but would remain a ghost during the ceremony. The night before the wedding the mischievous apparition snuck out of the apartment and down to the firehall parking lot where Jeanna's truck was parked to pull a prank on the newlyweds. He had a similar prank in mind for his father's upcoming nuptials.

The limousine that would take Jeanna and Kat to the firehall pulled into the campsite's lot at ten the following morning. The women stepped out of Jeanna's camper in their camouflaged gowns, the bride holding her prized fishing pole in her hand instead of a bouquet.

"You oughta wear camo more often, Kat."

"Oh I would...if I had to hunt someone who was bothering my Bobby."

"It's been what. . . eight months now since you met? About time for you two to set a date."

"I wanted to give him some time. He rushed into his wedding with Belle and..."

Jeanna nodded sympathetically. "You didn't want to be a rebound relationship. I took a while after Steve died before I started dating again but I'm ready to settle down and so is Doc. This is the best day of my life."

"I'm sorry about your father, hon."

"Ehh, don't be. He's an ass and he's always gonna be an ass and I'm not lettin it ruin my day."

"That's the spirit, hon!"

Geppetto and Henry stood outside the fire hall waiting when the limo pulled up. Geppetto escorted Kat into the firehall first followed by the rest of the wedding party.

"Are you ready, Jeanna?" Henry asked her.

"More than ready," she whispered.

Archie smiled softly when he spotted his bride walking down the aisle on his adopted son's arm in her strapless camouflage gown with a sweetheart neckline and princess skirt, her ginger hair pulled back from her face with a matching headband. For a moment he found himself wondering if he were dreaming and any moment he would wake up and find himself back in Storybrooke, still cursed and cowering before the mayor. Those fears were vanquished the moment he felt her hand in his and her green eyes gazing deeply into his blue ones and seeing all the love he felt for her reflected in them.

"You look beautiful," he whispered.

"And you're one damn fine lookin' cowboy..." she purred, tempted to give him a nice swat on his jean covered backside then decided to save it for later.. "C'mon Doc...let's git 'er done."

Archie had been calm most of the day but the moment it was time for him to speak his vows he felt nervous. He didn't enjoy speaking publicly and tried to avoid it as much as possible while he lived in Storybrooke but now that he was a successful therapist on the outside he was required to do it more often, asking one of his colleagues work with him to help him overcome his anxiety. That day of all days, he wanted to be perfect. He took a deep breath, counted to ten and began.

"I came to this city wanting nothing more than to find a place to live, raise my adopted son and always do my best as a therapist. All that changed the moment you breezed into my office that day almost a year ago like a tornado and turned my whole world upside down for the better. Even though I thought I had my happy ending, you made me realize that something was missing. That something was you. I dedicated my whole life to helping others find love and happiness but was never courageous enough to try to find it myself...until I met you and now that I have you, there's nothing I want to do more than spend the rest of my life with you. I love you, Jeanna O'Malley, my Texas Tornado and now more than ever I know we can weather any storm life throws at us together."

For a moment Jeanna was speechless. "Well...Doc..." She laughed nervously. "I'm not good at this... talkin' about how I feel in public but...when we first got started...we were like night and day. After...Steve...I wasn't really looking for a serious relationship and wanted to treat you like you were just another client but that's damned hard to do when you've got your ways of breaking down the walls of a tornado like me. At first it was your determination to help your adopted son find his grandfather but then it was just you...the way you are...any other guy would have been scared off a long time ago and sometimes you think you're not a courageous guy but you're wrong. I've seen how strong you can be and seen how charming you can be and that's what made me want to put away my running boots. Everybody always told me there were plenty of fish in the sea...but I caught the best one Doc...and I'm not letting you off my hook."

Everyone laughed, including the groom who had been expecting her to include her own brand of humor into their special day.

"May we have the rings, please?"

Geppetto and Kat handed the couple their rings. Archie had asked Rumple to make them for him with his spun gold with water waves engraved into them with a camouflaged center.

"With this ring, I pledge my eternal love," Archie said softly as he placed his ring on Jeanna's finger.

"With this ring I pledge my eternal love," Jeanna whispered when she gave Archie his ring.

"Then by the power vested in me by the state of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss your bride."

"Yahooo! Get over here, Doc!" Jeanna exclaimed and grabbed her husband by his collar and kissed him breathless.

"That...was...supposed to be...my job..." he protested between kisses.

"Well I've been waitin' to kiss you all day, Doc."

"You gonna let me come up for air?" he teased.

"Ummm...no!" she said and kissed him again.

"Get a room, dearies!" Robert chuckled.

"After the reception, Bobby," Kat reminded him. "All right you two, break it up!" she laughed.

"Ahh do we have to!" Jeanna protested. "Should just throw you to the floor and have my way with ya," she whispered in her husband's ear.

He blushed. "Jeanna!"

"I don't know what she said, I don't think I wanna know!" Robert threw up his hands.

"You don't..." Archie muttered.

"It's probably something no good Catholic girl should know . . . but would secretly want to," Kat giggled, putting her arm around Robert. "Quit tempting me, Jeanna!"

"Oh believe me, honey, once you find out you're gonna wonder what the hell took you so long to do it."

"I needed to find the right one first," Kat countered. "Someone I could trust and love and who would do the same for me."

"Well like I said...I'm not letting this man off my hook..." Suddenly someone's stomach growled in protest.

Robert scowled at the groom. "You skipped breakfast?"

"I...ahhh...I guess I did," Archie said sheepishly.

"Dammit, Hopper! Who the hell ate everything I put out this morning then?"

Bae laughed from where he was standing. "You know me Papa...I always cleaned my plate."

"Holy crap, Dad!" Henry whispered. "What're you a horse or what?"

"He's always eaten like one," Robert mumbled. "I once told him I was gonna have to get a horse trough because the boy couldn't keep food on his plate."

"Papa, I couldn't help myself. You're too damned good of a cook and didn't you always tell me not to waste?"

Jeanna glowered at him. "You're lucky you're not solid, ghost boy, or I'd be whuppin your sorry ass for starvin' my husband. Now we better get some KFC in him so he doesn't pass out on me tonight!" Bae, when he was invisible to others, was able to communicate with his friends and family with the help of a special spell by Robert so that outsiders wouldn't see or hear them talking to him or him talking to them. They would just assume they were talking to each other.

"Well at least now I know Bae won't walk away from my table hungry!" Kat joked.

"Oh yeah and now I can eat all I want and not get sick!" he boasted.

The bride was smirking. "You wanna bet on that, ghost boy? Ten bucks says you puke by the end of the night."

"I won't."

Robert had his suspicions that his son was in for a rude awakening once he did take human form later.

Inside the firehall, the Charmings and the Lucases were getting everything set up for the reception. Granny, Robert and Kat had prepared most of the food but Archie insisted on making the fried chicken himself hoping Jeanna would like his as much as KFC's after trying to duplicate its breading recipe as best he could. Robert and Kat's contributions to the meal were veal saltimbocca, penne with vodka sauce and a string bean salad along with Italian Wedding Soup. Granny made corn on the cob, mashed potatoes, hamburger sliders and homemade French Fries in cones. There was something for every appetite at the buffet.

While the newlyweds posed for pictures under the red Solo cup archway, Henry started setting up the playlist of songs for the evening. It was a mixture of country music and rock and pop hits from the 70s, 80s, 90s, and 2000s. When the photographer finally finished, he turned on the microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, our bride and groom, Archie and Jeanna Hopper!" he announced.

Kat stood up and started tapping her Mason jar glass with her spoon, motioning for the others to do the same.

"What does that mean?" Robert asked her.

"It's for them to kiss...and it has to be good or they have to do it again."

"Oh I don't think they'll have any trouble with that," Geppetto chuckled, tapping his glass enthusiastically. "Come on, Charming...tap it!" he ordered his friend.

"We should've had things like this at our wedding," David muttered to his wife.

Little Neal Nolan pounded his high chair with his hand.

"What are they doing?" Archie whispered to his bride. "Is that supposed to mean something?"

"Oh yes...come over here, Doc!"

"Jeanna, what...?" Her lips were on his before he could utter another syllable.

"Hmmm...don't think we were convincing enough...wanna try again?" she suggested, hearing the guests still tapping their glasses.

"Absolutely!" He was beginning to like this new world's wedding traditions and pulled his wife closer to him and kissed her passionately.

Snow fanned herself with her napkin. "Oh my...I never thought Archie could kiss like that!"

"What'm I . . . chopped liver?" her husband demanded jealously.

"Oh stop it, you know I love you."

"Well, tell them to hurry the heck up...I'm starving!" Bae complained.

"You'd better let Archie eat first since you wolfed down his breakfast this morning, Dad." Henry teased. "Unless you want Jeanna to whup your butt."

"Ahhh . . . bring it on."

Once everyone was sitting back down with their food, Kat rose and held up her glass. "The matron of honor does not always toast the bride and groom but we're making a bit of an exception." She glanced down at the newly married couple and smiled.

"A pitter patter of little feet you shall hear

As many as you wish to hold dear

Sent they will be from the heavens above

To the ones united by the power of true love!"

Jeanna's abdomen glowed with a faint white light under the table and the bride was in tears when she looked up at her new friend. "T...Thank you, Kat..." she sniffled.

"Grandpa...what did she do?" Henry whispered.

Robert smiled proudly. "Jeanna is unable to have children . . . Kat just reversed it."

"Life's greatest blessing. And sometimes curse too," Bae smirked. "Depending on what the kid gets into as they grow up."

Ruby laughed. "And if the kid's anything like its mother, its gonna drive Archie crazy!"

"Like I drove you crazy, right, Papa?" his son queried of Robert.

"Ye still do!"

"I'm supposed to!" Bae shot back. "Otherwise it'd be boring. And the best part of being an adult who still drives his papa crazy is that you can't punish me for it like you did when I was nine."

Nine was the year that Robert often called Bae's Hellion Year, or the Year When He Turned Rumple's Hair Gray.

"I think I want to hear this..." Granny said.

"You'd be here all night," Robert smirked.

"And he's probably forgotten half of it anyway," Bae interjected quickly, hoping that were the case.

"Oh I don't think so, dearie . . . . " Kat purred.

"And he can find a way to spank a ghost, Dad!" Henry joked.

Geppetto stood up and laughed nervously. "Well, don't think I'll be able to top that...but...Archie, we've been friends for a long time...and in that time you've sacrificed so much to ensure that others were happy and never once tried to find it yourself. But you finally finding your own happy ending was all I ever wanted my old friend but it wasn't waiting for you where we came from. You did the courageous thing and ventured out into the world to find it and you couldn't have chosen a more...interesting bride. You're a bit stormy...and a little spicy, Jeanna but I think that's what Archie needs. To Archie and Jeanna!"

"Okay now let's EAT!" Bae yelled.

"Should put a feed bag on that boy," Jeanna muttered and grabbed a drumstick off her plate and bit into it. "Oh my God...this is better than KFC," she moaned in bliss. "Remind me to thank the cook. . . whichever one of you it was."

"You can kiss him instead," Archie said as he was about to take a bite of a chicken breast and it dropped back onto his plate when his wife grabbed him and kissed him.

"You're never gonna get anything to eat at this rate, Archie!" Bae laughed.

"Ohh yes he is," Jeanna picked up the chicken breast and fed it to him while Henry covered his and Neal's eyes. The baby grabbed at his hands and tried to pull them away from his face. "You're not getting up from this table, Doc, til I'm sure you've had enough to eat," she joked and continued feeding him while he fought to keep from blushing.

There was barely anything left over from the wedding banquet with a little help from Bae who still believed he could eat as much as he wanted to without getting sick, unaware that once he took human form he would as father predicted be as sick as dog. He'd missed this world's food so much and was determined to enjoy himself.

After dinner Henry walked back over to the DJ's table. "Okay...folks... we're gonna have the bride and groom dance first and then switch things up a bit and give some of you a shot at karaoke so rest your voices. Now, would Mr. and Mrs. Hopper come out to the dance floor please?"

Archie took his wife's hand and led her out to the dance floor as the opening notes of Garth Brooks' 'To Make You Feel My Love' began to play.

"This is the best day of my life, Doc," Jeanna murmured, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Mine too," he murmured. He spun her around the room gracefully, silently thanking Snow White for teaching him how to dance while they were still cursed. He'd been asked to chaperon a social at the school years before and Ruby went with him as his date, only as friends and he didn't want to look silly on the dance floor. Unfortunately, she'd only had time to give him a few lessons prior to the social and he'd stepped on Ruby's toes several times that night.

"I can't wait until we're alone..."

"Neither can I..."

For the next four minutes, they imagined there was no one else in the hall but the two of them but all too soon the song was over and a hall full of guests waited for them. Archie gently kissed his bride and they returned to their table.

"Okay...it's karaoke time...who's gonna be our first victim?" Henry asked.

Robert rose from his chair with a grin. "Allow me, dearie."

He strode over to the DJ's table. "Friends In Low Places, Henry. I'm feeling a bit...wicked tonight."

His grandson burst into laughter. "I'm gonna record this!"

"Wonder what he's gonna sing?" Jeanna pondered.

Archie shrugged. "I don't know but...with that look on his face...he's got something devious up his sleeve."

"Blame it all my roots

I showed up in boots

And ruined your black tie affair..." Robert began.

"Yahooooo! My song! SING IT!" Jeanna bellowed.

"The last one to know

The last one to show

I was the last one you thought you'd see there

And I saw the surprise

And the fear in his eyes

When I took your glass of champagne

And I toasted you

Said honey we may be through

But you'll never hear me complain

Cause I got FRIENDS IN LOW PLACES..." Robert sang gleefully, the image of a certain librarian and thief in his mind.

"I got friends in low places

Where the whiskey drowns and the beer chases

My blues away

And I'll be okay

Yeah I'm not big on social graces

Think I'll slip on down to the oasis

Cause I got friends in low places..." everyone in the hall started singing along as they filled their Mason jar glasses with beer, wine, champagne and fruit punch for the kids.

"Somebody oughta send this huge middle finger to Belle...and the rest of that town," Bae mumbled.

"Well, I guess I was wrong

I just don't belong

But then, I've been there before

Everything's all right

I'll just say goodnight

And I'll show myself to the door

Hey, I didn't mean

To cause a big scene

Just give me an hour and then

Well, I'll be as high

As that ivory tower

That you're livin' in

Cause I got friends in low places..."

"If he doesn't sing the third verse I'm gonna whup him with that cane he carries around," Jeanna whispered.

"Maybe he doesn't know it." Archie suggested.

"Ahhh I think he knows it...and I think he's gonna use it to give a certain Dumb Belle a nice middle finger in her face, don't you, Kat?"

"Oh I certainly hope so and I'm recording this...because I would just love to see the look on her self-righteous face when she hears it!"

Rumple smirked at his friends. "There's a third verse to this song I'd like to dedicate to my ex . . . and the people in our hometown who never thought me good enough for anything..."

Archie, Henry, Kat, Bae, Snow, Charming, Geppetto, Pinoccho, Ruby, Granny and Jeanna started laughing.

"Well I guess I was wrong

I just don't belong

But then...I've been there before

Everything's all right

I'll just say good night and I'll show myself to the door

Hey I didn't mean to cause a big scene

Just wait til I finish this glass

Then sweet little lady I'll get back to the bar...

AND YOU CAN KISS MY ASS!

Cause I got friends in low places...!"

Everyone in the hall raised their Mason jar glasses in salute.

"Sing it, Rob!" one of his fellow partners hooted.

"You did tell me he was bit of showman back in your world," Jeanna whispered to her groom.

"Ah, let him have his fun. It's good for him."

Robert gazed out at Kat with a smile on his lips. "This next one I'd like to dedicate to my beautiful date, Miss Katherine Fiochetta!"

Kat moved to the front of the crowd holding back tears as Robert began to sing 'You Shouldn't Kiss Me Like This' by Toby Keith.

"...They're all watchin' us now

They think we're falling in love

They'd never believe we're just friends

When you kiss me like this

I think you mean it like that

If you do baby kiss me again

Kiss me again..."

"I think we'll be having another wedding soon," Archie whispered to his bride.

"Yeah I think it's time," she whispered back. "Tell Henry I want to do the bouquet and garter toss now...and you'd better make sure you aim for Rob."

"And you throw yours right at Kat."

"Sounds like a plan, Doc."

Jeanna sauntered over to the DJ's table. "We're gonna do the bouquet and garter toss before we end with the dancing, Henry...and we need you to help us out a bit okay...we wanna throw them at your grandpa and Kat."

The young sorcerer grinned. "Say no more. You throw and I'll do the rest."

Jeanna gave her husband a thumbs-up.

"All right...Jeanna and Archie want to do the bouquet and garter toss. Will all the single women come to the dance floor please?"

 _Please, please let me catch it!_ Kat pleaded silently, not wanting to use her own magic to do so.

She moved to the front of the line while Jeanna turned her back to them and tossed the bouquet into the air. Before Henry had a chance to cast his spell, Robert cast his own and the bouquet landed in Kat's outstretched hand.

 _Sneaky one, Grandpa...sneaky..._ Henry thought.

Kat looked down at the bouquet in her hand a smile on her lips when she felt the traces of Robert's spell and was determined to work a little magic of her own when it was time to toss the garter.

Geppetto brought out a chair for Jeanna to sit in while Archie kneeled beside her. She smirked at him and threw her leg up over his shoulder.

"Come and git it, Doc..." she crooned.

His fingers grasped the band of camouflaged lace and pulled it down slowly, his blue eyes gazing hungrily into hers, looking forward to when they would be alone. He missed waking up next to her in the morning and her face being the last he saw before he went to sleep at night, his nightmares of that horrible night with Regina a distant memory now.

He smiled when he thought back to the day they returned to the camp with the photographs she'd risked so much to get back. She tossed them into the bus rim firepit and together they watched them burn, her holding his hand.

 _"That witch is done hurting you, Doc, and I mean it when I say I'll skin her if she tries again."_

 _"I love you, Jeanna."_

 _When there was nothing left but ashes in the firepit she giggled and grabbed his hand again, pulling him toward the camper. "We got more celebratin' to do Doc and I wanna take it indoors before we get arrested!"_

 _Later on she woke him up and asked him to gather up all their blankets and pillows._

 _"Why?"_

 _"You'll see."_

 _They drove out to a remote spot by the lake after stopping at a nearby KFC and after she parked the truck Jeanna used the blankets and pillows to make a makeshift bed for them in the back. She turned on the music and crawled into the truckbed, patting the pillow in invitation._

 _"Jeanna…here? What if someone sees….?"_

 _"Just gonna lay here cuddled up like bugs in rugs, eat our KFC, sip some Bud and listen to the radio tonight, Doc, but one of these days I'm gonna bring you outdoors and have my way with you," she smirked._

 _In the distance, he could hear crickets chirping._

 _"Looks like your friends followed us."_

 _He drew her closer. "Did you hear any back in Texas?"_

 _"Hon we got insects in Texas that are huge and I'm not joking either. Even seen some of your cricket friends that were pretty big and we used to get swarms of em down there and people were annoyed with em but they never bothered me. Never imagined I would fall in love with a guy who used to be one."_

 _"I want to go to Texas sometime."_

 _"Yeah you gotta meet my daddy eventually and I wanted to have a ranch someday like Southfork on Dallas."_

 _When we get married we will eventually,_ he thought as he drifted off to sleep still holding her in his arms.

Archie was still smiling when he stood up with the garter in his hand on their wedding day.

"Okay...now let's have all the single men come out to the floor."

"That garter is MINE," Robert hissed.

Archie turned his back and tossed it over his shoulder.

Bae swooped to the front of the line. "Oh no you don't, Papa, it's mine!" he taunted and reached for it.

Kat waved her hand, casting a freezing spell on everyone other than the Storybrooke residents, herself, and Jeanna before she floated the garter over to Robert. As he reached out to grasp it, Bae jumped up and reached for it again. "Nope! Still mine!"

"Ye scamp!" Robert growled. "Gimme that right now or I'll be finding a way to turn ye over my knee while yer still a ghost!"

"Gotta catch me first..."

Kat floated the garter away from her future stepson and over to her fiancé again to try to take but suddenly Bae took flight and reached out to snatch it away.

"Na na na na na na hey hey goodbye!" he sang.

"Oh no ye don't! It's mine ye understand. Mine all mine!" Robert cast a floating spell and chased his son around the firehall. "Ye're not the only one who can fly now, ye scamp!"

The bride and groom were clinging to each other with tears in their eyes as they laughed hysterically.

"Oh yeah you can, Papa . . . on SNAIL AIRLINES!"

"A little help here if ye will?" Rumple begged his fiancé and grandson.

"Whassamatter, Papa? Getting too tired to catch up to me?"

"Ye think so lad? I'm no' that tired yet!" Robert flew at his son and tackled him to the floor, snatching the prized garter out of his hands. Ye see. MINE!" he declared, holding it high in the air. Kat unfroze the guests.

"What's so funny?" one of Robert's partners asking him.

"Nothing," he giggled impishly. "Nothing at all...just when I want something...I get it!"

"Come on Kat, you know you want him to put it on you." Jeanna teased her friend.

"He certainly worked hard enough to get it!"

Both were blushing as Robert slid the garter up Kat's thigh and once it was in place he quickly removed his hand though in his mind he was wishing they were already married and he could touch her as he pleased and she was having a difficult time trying to bury her own naughty thoughts.

 _Oh, I'll have to spend longer in confession tomorrow_ , she thought.

"Come on, Doc...let's get outta here," Jeanna murmured, linking her arm through Archie's.

"Ummm...we'd like to thank everyone for coming...and for your well wishes but...ahhh...we should be going now..." he announced, his cheeks flushed. "Good night!"

They walked out to the truck and Archie opened the door for his new bride and helped her into the cab then climbed into the driver's seat. His hand paused on the ignition key and he wrinkled his nose in disgust at the stench of rotten fish heavy in the air. "Jeanna, didn't we clean the truck out after our last fishing trip?"

"Yeah, so why the hell does it smell like there's a fish in here that's been dead a week?"

"I don't know but I need some air before I vomit," he gasped and rolled down the window.

Jeanna bent over and looked under the passenger seat. "What the...who the hell...when I git my hands on 'em I'm gonna use their guts for fish bait!" she raged, sitting up with a dead trout dangling from her fingers.

"Throw it out!" Archie cried, his face pale.

"Oh no, Doc . . . you're not gonna be spendin' our weddin' night pukin your guts up!" Jeanna dropped the trout out the window and climbed out of the truck, glaring at the crowd. "Okay, who's the wiseass who put the dead fish in ma truck?" Archie leaned against the truckbed, inhaling the fresh air with vigor. The guests that could be seen and heard were shaking their heads while the one that couldn't except by a select group of people was leaning against the side of the firehall laughing hysterically. Jeanna hurled the trout at him. It passed through him and hit the wall then dropped to the ground. He put his fingers in his ears and stuck his tongue out.

"Missed me!" he taunted.

"Baelfire!" Robert hissed under his breath.

"Good one, Dad," Henry chuckled.

"Bae, really!" Kat rolled her eyes. "The Grumpy Old Men dead fish gag?"

"Poor Archie looks like he's about to throw up his dinner," Geppetto said sympathetically.

"That little shit! He betta hope I never catch 'im when he's solid or he's gonna get the ass beatin' of a lifetime!" Jeanna ranted. "You okay over here Doc or am I gonna havta stop an' get ya some Pepto Bismol?"

"Getting there," he murmured.

"Good. Still gonna whack that boy when he gets solid. I'll drive."

"No, I'll drive." He reached out to take the keys from her.

"You need to rest your stomach a bit."

"Honey, I'm fine now." he insisted and started up the engine. They could hear beer bottles and cans bouncing along the pavement as they drove away. Bae and Henry tied them to the back of the truckbed with the words JUST HITCHED written in soap on the back window.

They drove back to Jeanna's camp. Once she stepped out of the truck Archie reached for her and tried to pick her up.

"Umm...hon...we're goin down to the dock to get the boat," she said and took her fishing gear out of the storage container in the truckbed, smiling to herself anticipating her husband's response to the little surprise she had in store for him and with a little help from her magical friends it was the perfect night for it.

She recalled how Kat blushed when she broached the subject with her first. _"That sounds wonderful…and a little naughty!" she giggled._

 _"There's a spot by the lake I wanna take Doc to where no one's gonna bother us but I really don't wanna be makin love with my man and get rained on then havta spend our honeymoon in bed with the flu."_

 _"I'll look through the spell books and see what I can come up with. If I have to ask Bobby to help I'll be discreet about it."_

 _"But I'm gonna tease him a little by making him think we're going fishing. He'll probably be a bit crabby at first but…"_

 _Kat laughed. "Not when he finds out what you have in mind!"_

 _Later that night the two women went out to the woods to get everything set up. Jeanna placed a sleeping bag on the ground with pillows and her warmest blankets while Kat warded the area as an extra precaution. Anyone or anything that happened to pass by the site would not be able to see, hear or even approach the lovers. They also brought a large bucket of KFC that Kat cast a preservation spell over along with the bottles of beer. Everything would still be fresh when they arrived. Jeanna surrounded the blanket with multicolored solar lights and a battery powered docking station for her phone to play music. She knew her husband probably had his own plans for them but he had the rest of the week to carry them out._

 _"You got anything we can use not to freeze if I take Doc skinny dipping down at the lake?"_

 _"Oh I think we can find something. You're going all out, aren't you?"_

 _"Yep. Dunno what Doc's got planned I'm gonna give him a weddin night and a honeymoon he won't forget. Been missin havin him in my bed this weekend but we're gonna make up for it on our weddin night. And thanks for all your help, hon."_

 _"You're welcome. I know you'll have a wonderful time."_

 _"Your turn's comin, sweetie. I'm thinkin Bobby will be ready when he sees me and Doc gettin hitched."_

 _Kat smiled. "I hope so, Jeanna. But only IF he's ready."_

"…You want to go fishing...now? But...but it's our wedding night! I thought we would..." he protested.

"The rest of our gear is in the camper. You wanna grab it for me?"

"It's our wedding night...she's been talking about wanting to be alone all day and when we get here she doesn't want to go to bed, she wants to go fishing!" he muttered while he walked to the camper.

"You say somethin, hon?"

"No nothing," he called back and shook his head. He was silent while they carried their gear down to the dock and loaded it onto the boat. She started up the engine and drove it out onto the lake.

"You sure you're okay, hon? You've been quiet since we started out on the lake."

"I'm fine. Jeanna, where are we going?"

"Ah, just some good fishin spot I wanna show you."

 _And it can't wait until tomorrow morning?_ he thought grouchily.

"There it is!" she announced half an hour later when she pulled the boat along the shore and shut off the engine. "Come on hon."

"I thought we were going fishing."

"Yeah we are, but I wanna show you something first. Just leave that stuff in the boat," she said when he started gathering up their fishing gear. He shook his head and followed her up the hill and into the woods.

"Jeanna, what are we doing?"

"I told ya...we're going fishing but I wanna show you this first."

 _This has to be the oddest wedding night anyone has ever had._

"Well...ummm...how far are we going?"

"Just a bit farther. It's back here."

"What is?"

"Just something I want to show ya...now don't get crabby on me, Doc."

"Jeanna, it's our wedding night...don't you think we should go back to the camper...?"

"Oh will you quit bein a lump on a log and c'mon! We're almost there."

"Oh, all right!"

She disappeared behind the trees. "Jeanna, stop playing around. Where are you?"

She poked her head out from behind the tree. "Back here, Doc. Got something to show you."

He looked around. "I don't see anything. Where is it?"

"You have to sit down first."

"Why?"

"Do it or I'm not gonna show you anything," she said stubbornly.

Irritated, he sat down. "Jeanna, honey I love you, I do but you are trying my patience here. Now what is so important that you dragged me out into the middle of the woods, on our wedding night, no less, for?"

She rushed at him and tackled him to the ground and he found himself lying on top of the sleeping bag. "So I could finally...finally have my way with you!" she murmured as she started to unbutton his shirt. "Is that important enough for you?"

"Oh yes," he sighed contentedly and reached behind her back to unzip her dress. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. "You can have your way with me as much as you want tonight... but what…what if someone…." He sat still holding her. ]

"Been wantin to do this since we got together but don't have much privacy in this place, at least we didn't till Kat set up some wards so Doc we can make love all we want and no one's gonna see or hear us!" She tackled him again, laughing wickedly. "And tomorrow evenin' we're gonna get in the truck, fill the bed up with blankets, pillows, KFC, some Bud and we'll be…"

"…Goin around the world in a pickup truck," Archie chuckled, quoting the lyrics from Garth Brooks.

"And we ain't goin down til the sun comes up!" she finished. "And maybe do a little skinny dippin," she added with a grin.

"Jeanna, the lake will be cold and we don't want to get arrested for incent exposure!"

"Got something for that too. No way are we spendin' our honeymoon in bed with the flu or in jail!"

"Well right now I'd like to go around the world right here," he murmured.

They made love to each other that evening wildly, more passionately than they ever had before now that they knew they had all night and all the privacy they needed to do so and later on they lay in each other's arms in the sleeping bag gazing up at the now starlit sky and listening to the crickets chirping their own song to the night.

"Did you do that when you were a cricket?" Jeanna asked him.

"Yes. I probably sounded terrible compared to the others but I didn't care. I felt free for the first time in years and could go and do whatever I wanted and the only thing I wanted was to find Geppetto and help him as best I could. We had our fights over the years about what I did but he eventually forgave me."

"Rumple's right. Your parents are to blame more for what happened than you are and my daddy would have done the same thing, switched the damn bottles. He was always good at hiding his booze that way. Can't forget the one time I needed rubbing alcohol to put on a bad cut I had and pouring out Jim Beam instead. Momma was so mad. I don't miss him Archie...and I know that's wrong of me but I don't. And I don't think you miss your momma and daddy either."

"I don't," he confessed. "I always told myself that if I ever had any children of my own, I would bring them up right."

"We've already gotten started on making one, haven't we?"

He patted her still flat abdomen. "It'll be a bit strange...us having a baby at our age...but I don't care. I'm ready to be a father...and I know you're ready to be a mother."

"You think Henry will have a problem with it?"

"No, he'll enjoy playing the role of a big brother but I have a feeling we're going to be as crazy as Rumple if our child is anything like us."

"You're the quiet one. I'm the tornado," she giggled.

"Oh I can be a bit stormy when I want to be."

She buried her face in his shoulder. "I love you either way, Doc." She raised her head and kissed him. "Did you like our little fishing trip tonight?"

"Mmmm...I reeled in the best catch."

"So did I."

"You don't want to go back to the camper, do you?"

"No, do you?"

He grinned. "Maybe in the morning...or later..."

"Ohhh so you like making love outdoors, Doc?"

"Learn something new with you every day, don't I?"

"I've got a lot to show you, Doc...just hope you're ready for it."

"Oh I am...now then...why don't I show you just how much I like making love outdoors, hmmm?" he teased, flipping her over. "And now that I've had all these months of warmup I'm gonna show you how this cricket makes love to his woman."

"Show me, Doc," she moaned. "Show me..."

And for the rest of the night he did until the sun rose over the hill in the morning. It had been the perfect wedding night and only the start of a wonderful life together.

 **A/N: Archie and Jeanna's wedding theme was inspired by the actual wedding of one of my friends. Once again we are so happy with the following this story is getting and next up Kat and Bobby at last get the wedding Bobby has deserved all along! - CJ**


	12. La Bella E La Besta

****notice the site has had trouble updating reviews and alerts these past few days. If you don't see your review, please try and post it again. If you're just getting this alert and didn't realize there was an update yesterday, please go back and read A Country Cricket Wedding first-it's important and we spent a lot of time writing it! Thanks!****

 **~La Bella E La Besta~**

 _In my life I see where I've been_

 _I said that I'd never fall again_

 _Within myself I was wrong_

 _My searchin' ain't over...over_

 _I know that_

 _When you love a woman_

 _You see your world inside her eyes_

 _When you love a woman_

 _You know she's standin' by your side_

 _A joy that lasts forever_

 _There's a band of gold that shines waiting somewhere..._

 _Journey - When You Love a Woman (Rumple and Kat's love theme)_

Unlike his second wedding, which had taken place at the wishing well in the middle of the night with only Belle's father and Archie as witnesses, Robert's third wedding was held in a small Catholic church with all of the partners in his law firm along with their families in attendance. Their theme was an Italian Renaissance version of Beauty and the Beast. The bride was wearing a golden gown made from her bridegroom's own spun gold, Father O'Brien was presiding over the ceremony, Jeanna stood as Kat's matron of honor and Archie as his best man while Henry was the ring bearer. No one else but the four of them would see him but Baelfire was also watching over the ceremony beside his father, exactly where Robert wanted him to be.

They planned to go to Scotland for part of their honeymoon and the other half would be spent in the Dark Castle. Kat suggested Robert change the castle's name now that he was no longer the Dark One and he planned to surprise her with its new name and new decor once they returned to the Enchanted Forest. It had taken quite a bit of magic to transform a place that held so many unpleasant memories for him into a place of light and he was so exhausted from it that he slept for almost two days afterwards but he couldn't wait to see the joy in his wife's face when she saw it, especially the writing studio he built for her. He was hoping the room would help inspire her to finish her novel.

Over the months he'd been visiting them Bae and Kat grew closer. For the first time Robert's son felt comfortable that he was leaving his father's heart in good hands. All of Robert's insecurities and doubts had been banished the day he was freed from the curse of the Dark One.

He would have married Kat earlier but she'd insisted that he give himself time to heal from the wounds of his past, particularly those inflicted upon him by Belle. They only talked about her in passing and he couldn't remember the last time he'd even thought about her. She made her choice that night at the town line. The woman who once vowed she would never stop fighting for the man she loved had given up, proving to him that she hadn't loved him at all . . . just like Cora and Milah . . . all of them only loved him when he was who they wanted him to be. It was at Archie and Jeanna's wedding that he finally decided he was ready.

Kat and Henry were also becoming quite the accomplished magicians under Robert's tutelage and he couldn't have been more pleased but he also made sure they both had time to pursue other interests as well. He was surprised when Henry asked him if he would allow him to borrow a few of his law books to read through.

"You're thinking of going into law, lad?"

"Yeah but I'd like to be a prosecutor," Henry said.

Robert smiled. "You'll make a good one." He handed his grandson a stack of books. "You can return them to me when you're done...no rush...or just replicate them as practice."

"Thanks, Grandpa!"

"Any time, lad, any time."

Also in the weeks prior to the wedding Robert made good on his promise that he would allow Archie to counsel him about his issues but now that Bae was back in his life again in a limited capacity, some of the emotional burdens had been lifted from his heart.

"It still tears at my heart when he has to go," Robert confessed one afternoon during a session. "He...he gave his life for me...and I have to live with that. That's now how it is supposed to be. I should've gone first. I did...and he brought me back."

"And by breaking your curse you brought him back and set everything right again," Archie pointed out. "It's not the perfect ending you wanted but it would be much more difficult for you if he hadn't been given the opportunity to come back."

"My life would have been empty without him, without any of you. All of you brought me back from the darkness I was losing myself in. I came to this city thinking I would spend the rest of my life, a bitter, broken man."

"But look at you now. You have your son. You have your grandson, your friends and most of all a woman willing to accept you for what you are, not what she wants you to be."

"And I will do everything in my power to deserve what she's given me," the sorcerer said firmly.

"I think a start would be marrying her," Archie said with a smile. "I knew you were ready on my wedding day."

"Aye, I was."

Kat awoke on her wedding day with a smile on her lips and walked over to the window and opened it, seeing the sun shining brightly in the sky. "Oh Mom...I wish you were here today. You always told me someday I would finally a meet a man worth fighting for, worth keeping and Bobby is that man for me." She touched the gold cross that was hanging around her neck, a gift from her mother for Christmas when she was eight years old. She could even sense her parents' spirits in the room with her, watching over her.

Snow knocked on the door and poked her head in. Since her apartment was being sold, the Nolans allowed her to stay with them the night before the wedding and all her belongings had already been moved into Robert's place.

"Come downstairs and have some breakfast, honey, and then we'll get you dressed."

"Thank you, Snow."

"I felt them too...on my wedding day," Snow confessed.

"What?"

"My parents watching over me," she answered.

David and Neal were already at the table waiting for them. Robert and Kat visited the boy that would become their foster son daily so that he could bond with them. The baby adored them, especially Rumple whom he already considered a second father. Snow and David still wished that the Powers had given them another option to save their daughter but the mistake they'd made in their past had to be paid for and they would do it, despite the painful price it required. They also knew that Neal would be safe with the Golds.

Kat stood up to help the former princess cook but Snow shook her head and pointed to the chair. "This is your special day. No working for you. You did enough cooking last night and the bride shouldn't be cooking her own wedding feast."

"Then you'll need to yell at Rumple too because that's what he was doing most of the night...him and Archie. Geppetto and I had to keep trying to drag them outta the kitchen during the bachelor party!" David laughed.

"Dare I ask what went on at this bachelor party? There weren't any strippers, were there?" she quizzed.

"Ummm...ummmm...one of the guys from Rum's firm did hire a woman to come outta a cake...but she never showed up!"

"That had to be Marty," Kat spoke up. "He always hires a stripper for the bachelor parties but I'm thinking Bobby put a spell on her to make her go to the wrong address."

Snow laughed. "Serves them right. Rumple's not the stripper type and if Jeanna would've caught one within a mile of Archie, she would've mounted her hide on a wall!"

"You're damn right I would have!" Jeanna announced when she walked in followed by Granny and Ruby. "We'll just go upstairs and get everything ready while you eat, Kat." They were carrying their gowns in plastic garment bags. Robert made all the costumes himself and everyone agreed that he should have quit the law firm and gone into fashion designing. He insisted that he would rather make garments for friends and family rather than the general public since they appreciated his work more.

Once they finished breakfast Kat and Snow joined the women in Snow's bedroom while David took Neal over to Robert's place to help him get ready for the wedding. While the men would ride over to the wedding in a limousine, the ladies would be taken to the chapel in a white Victorian carriage Robert rented from a local company so that his bride would feel every inch the queen she was in his eyes.

"You look beautiful Kat, absolutely beautiful," Ruby praised.

Kat gazed at her reflection in the mirror, barely recognizing the woman staring back at her. As she told Robert while they were dating, she never considered herself the kind of woman a man wanted for his wife because of her looks and her shy ferocious intelligence, but having him love her had changed her mind and for the first time in her life, she finally could admit to herself that she was indeed beautiful and as worthy of love as any other woman. It brought tears to her eyes.

"Oh honey!" Jeanna grabbed a tissue and dabbed at her eyes. "What's wrong?"

"I...I just can't believe this is me...that this is really happening...!" she sobbed.

"Why?"

"I...I told Bobby when we were dating I'm not the kind of woman a man wants as their wife because I'm not glamorous...my waist...my legs and the mop I have for my hair...and...it doesn't matter to him..."

"Of course it doesn't. He loves you just as you are!" Snow cried. "And that's all that matters, sweetie!"

"I...I'm sorry...I'm messing up all your makeup..." Kat sniffled.

"So what? We can fix it later. As long as you're crying because you're happy, you can ruin it all you want," Ruby said with a smile.

"Oh, I am happy! I am!" she cried.

And because she was projecting her emotions onto the other women in the room, moments later they were all in tears thinking about the happiness in their own lives, happiness they all fought so hard to find and keep.

"I am happy...and a little nervous...about tonight..." Kat confessed. "You all know that I've wanted to wait...for that..."

"It's normal to be nervous, honey," Snow said gently and took her hand. "I was on my wedding night too."

"I was a bit nervous that first night with Archie in Maine not because it was my first time but in a way it was his and I didn't want him to be uncomfortable," Jeanna admitted.

"One thing I can say about Rumple now that I know him...he doesn't sound like the type that would be anything less than gentle with you since it is your first time," spoke up Granny. "Back where we come from...we didn't really talk about what went on between a man and a woman in the bedroom...or even on your wedding night."

"My mother did have The Talk with me and the way things are these days, girls learn too much about sex too early and society has the wrong ideas about it now thanks to those trashy books and some movies," Kat scowled. "When I have a daughter, she's going to be raised with a strict moral code."

"Nothing wrong with that and I kinda wish I would've had more restraint," Ruby confessed. "I blamed most of it on the curse but even when I regained my memories I still went a bit wild. Now I just want to find someone like you all have and make a good life for myself."

Kat took her hand and patted it. "You will. It may not be right away, but you will."

"Kat, there's no doubt in my mind tonight is gonna be a wonderful experience for you because you love each other enough to make it one. There's gonna a bit of discomfort at first...not sure how much since you're a bit older than most virgins are but Rumple will take his time. Believe me, given the choice between having my first time being in the backseat of a car with one of the guys from El Paso or with Archie...I would've preferred being with Archie. Some men know how to treat a woman in bed and some don't. You don't wanna be with one who doesn't." Jeanna said.

Snow sighed. "Unfortunately, I know what that's like. God, what the hell was I thinking when I let Whale...ewwww!"

Ruby and Granny gasped. "You and Whale?"

"It was one night, okay and I really, really would rather forget it!" Snow protested.

"Something tells me I wouldn't want to meet this man," Kat laughed.

"He's Dr. Frankenstein in our world and no, you wouldn't. He thinks all women want him."

"Oh, one of those types! No, I wouldn't."

"All right, Kat, it's time to go."

She smiled and rose to her feet. "I'm ready."

The men were already at the chapel waiting for the women to arrive as were the rest of the guests, all of them wearing their costumes. At the altar, Robert was trying desperately to remain calm while Archie, Bae, and Henry tried to comfort him.

"Rumple...this is not going to be like the last time," Archie assured him. "You have a bride who knows who and what you are and has accepted it. She's going to stay with you and not leave you when you have a fight or when she gets upset. She's not going to be like a child saying she won't play with you unless you behave nor will she act like she's the perfect one in your marriage and you are the screw up."

"Grandpa, when Kat says she's gonna stay with you forever, SHE means it," Henry insisted.

 _She's your true love, Papa._ Bae sent. _Believe it. Believe in her_.

Robert smiled. "Thank you...I...I needed that."

 _Yeah you did. This is the day you've been waiting for your whole life,_ his son grinned a familiar grin like a certain imp of the Forest.

When the opening notes to the wedding march began, Henry excused himself and walked toward the front doors to the chapel to wait for the bride. He was going to be her escort down the aisle and had the honor of giving her away to her new husband.

"You look wonderful Henry," Kat praised.

"And you look beautiful...ummmm can I call you Grandma now?"

"You certainly can."

"Grandpa's gonna be speechless when he sees you."

And indeed he was. He also recalled those words she'd spoken while they were dating, thinking how much she sounded like him when she believed no man would want to marry her based on her looks. In his eyes she was beautiful inside as well as on the outside. For the first time in both of their lives, they finally found someone they could lower all their barriers with and be accepted. And after today they would be one: heart body and soul.

"Who gives this woman in marriage?" Father O'Brien asked.

"Her grandson. Henry Hopper Gold," Henry declared proudly. Months earlier he'd asked to have his name legally changed to acknowledge being Archie's adopted son and Robert's grandson to the joy of both of his fathers and his grandfather. He kissed Kat on the cheek and placed her hand in Robert's when Father O'Brien began the opening sermon. As he spoke, Kat believed with all her heart that God sent Robert to her and in his mind Robert was thinking the same. In his eyes, Kat was his angel, bringing him out of the darkness and into the light with the truest love of all, one that gave her the strength to go into battle with him and be his anchor.

Kat clasped Robert's hand in hers, still feeling as if part of her was dreaming. The kind of dream you never wish to wake from. But his rough palm in hers brought her back down to earth. And unlike his last two wives there would be no broken promises no empty vows.

 _When I say forever it's forever. Until I breathe my last,_ she thought.

"When you are ready, you may speak your vows," Father O'Brien said softly.

"Robert, there have been other women before me who have promised you forever but took off running at the first sign of trouble but to me when the going gets rough...a good woman doesn't get going. She stays and she fights with everything she has. Her heart, her body...her soul. My mother was that kind of woman...and that is the kind of woman I want to be for you, the woman that loves you as you are. This marriage, this life, we're entering is a contract where we both know exactly what we're getting ourselves into and one I never intend to break. When I say 'it's forever, dearie'...it IS forever, even when the good Lord calls us to Heaven." She reached out and tenderly stroked his cheek. "Let all the beautiful girls of the world have their shallow prince boys. This woman chooses the man, the gentle beast...to have and to hold, in sickness and health, throughout all of life's storms I shall be your constant light when all other lights have gone out, for love is unwavering and love judges not. Love is hope, and makes all things possible."

The groom was so moved by his future bride's words that for several moments he found it difficult to speak. Finally, he gazed into her eyes and began to speak. "For so long I held onto the believe that I was a difficult man to love, that I was unworthy of love...and the times I thought I had found it at last...they were nothing more than illusions that barely sustained me during my moments of darkness. I came to this city a man lost, broken...believing again that I was destined to spend my life alone until you came into my life. I kept you at a distance, foolishly labeling you like the others, refusing to look beneath the surface as you did with me. But you refused to stay behind the wall. You climbed over...and YOU tore it down. You've done what no other has before you, you've taken this broken man and put him back together again, made the light shine through the cracks, made your love the armor I wore when the darkness tried to lure me back into its cold embrace. You, Katherine Fiochetta, have at last healed the wounded heart of the beast and set him free. With you I no longer fear being unloved, for your love is my warmth and my light, and it surrounds me with hope and joy. For I know that you love me, with all my chips and imperfections, and want nothing more. I pledge you my heart, my love, my life, forever dearie."

From his place at his father's side, the ghostly apparition of his son fought back his own tears. "That was perfect, Papa. So perfect...and so true..." he croaked.

"May I have the rings please?" Father O'Brien asked.

Jeanna was sniffling as she handed Kat her ring. Henry beamed with pride when he handed his grandfather his ring.

Robert lifted Kat's hand and slid the band made from his own spun gold a claddagh clasping a rare brilliant moonstone heart onto her finger. The moonstone was the gem of mages, mysterious and inspirational, and the claddagh their symbol of a heart enfolded in love's embrace. "Ti amero per sempre," he whispered.

"Ti amero per sempre," Kat said softly as she placed his ring on his finger, a larger claddagh, this one with a deep gold citrine heart in its center. The citrine was known in magic circles as a stone that brought good luck, success, protection and also increased self-confidence and honesty. It also dissipated feelings of unworthiness and fear of being unloved, and combated depression and grief by its own positive energy.

"What God has brought together, let no man put asunder. In the name of the Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride now, Robert."

Robert swept his new bride into his arms and kissed her passionately as the guests both seen and unseen applauded enthusiastically.

"Third time's the charm, Papa," Bae joked.

 _Quit distracting me...busy here!_

 _Bae, please go haunt someone until we're finished..._ Kat sent back.

 _He gonna let you come up for air or what?_

 _I'm not ready for him to yet...now would you mind? I'd like to continue kissing my husband._

 _Maybe I oughta stick around and watch all the fun?_ Bae wigged his eyebrows.

 _Boy, if ye don't start minding the manners I taught ye when ye were a lad I'll be findin' a way to spank a ghost!_

 _You would too!_

 _Git! Or do I have_ _t'count t'three!_

Bae threw up his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay...let's go Henry before Papa forgets I'm not five years old anymore." He vanished and reappeared at the house where the family would hold a small private reception after the official reception. Kat was looking forward to the private reception more since she would be able to interact with her new stepson more freely and even share a dance since he would be allowed to take physical form only for a few hours.

The newly married couple walked slowly down the aisle as Jeanna, Snow and Ruby showered them with rose petals. Dove stood outside in front of Robert's Cadillac holding the rear passenger door open for them.

"Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Gold."

"Thank you, Mr. Dove."

Henry drew a heart with the words: JUST MARRIED: IT'S FOREVER DEARIE in red and Jeanna and Archie tied several strands of empty beer cans to the rear bumper. Bae was chuckling, unable to wait until his father found his surprise waiting for them in the backseat.

The moment they were in the car, Kat grabbed her husband and kissed him again. As Robert reached up to put his arms around her waist his finger got caught on something elastic. He raised his hand, horrified to see a neon pink condom dangling from it.

"What the...BAELFIRE!" he bellowed. "That wiseass...I oughta smack his arse til he can't sit! I'm no' gonna be needin these things..." He tossed it aside.

Kat buried her face in his shoulder and laughed hysterically. "You certainly aren't...dearie..."

They both looked down at the discarded contraceptive device and now it was Robert's turn to laugh. "Ahhh I missed that scamp's little shenanigans here and there..."

Bae reappeared outside the church beside his son doubled over with laughter.

 _Dad, what did you do now?_

 _Oh, just put a little something in your grandpa's car._

 _Aww come on. Not the fish gag again. That's so old!_

 _Nope. Something even better that is gonna get me beat if he figures out how to wallop a ghost._

 _You gonna tell me or keep me in suspense?_

 _I put a condom in the car._

 _Whoa! You better start running then 'cause he WILL spank you!_

 _He'll be too busy enjoying his wedding night!_

The next thing he knew he felt something strike his backside. It almost felt like a hand.

 _I told ye I'd find a way to spank a ghost!_

Bae rubbed his sore bottom. "Dammit, I forgot how much he could make my butt sting when I really did something to make him mad. And don't you even think about asking him to tell you all my dirty secrets, Henry Hopper Gold! I want to maintain SOME of my dignity!"

"You don't have any with family, Dad!" his son returned with an impish smirk.

Bae rolled his eyes. "I'm doomed."

The official reception for Robert and Kat's wedding was being held at Mark Arenberg's mansion. The senior law partner asked several of the firm's custodians to transport all the food Robert and Kat cooked to the house and set up the ballroom for the banquet and dancing. The couple made sure they prepared enough food to appeal to every appetite. It was impossible for anyone to walk away hungry and if they did, they were insane.

For the dinner, there was a choice of entrée-either a surf and turf which included a 7 oz fillet mignon and a 10 oz lobster tail with drawn butter accompanied by a choice of garlic mashed potatoes or green beans almandine or carrots in honey butter sauce, or eggplant parmesan with a side of linguini carbonara, or chicken saltimbocca with a choice of sautéed zucchini or mushrooms and mashed potatoes. All entrees were accompanied by fresh garden salad with choice of dressing and a dinner roll.

Dessert consisted of the beautiful wedding cake—devil's food with a creamy peanut butter center—and a Venetian table. The Venetian table had arrays of desserts starting with Italian wedding cookies, an assortment of Italian pastries, pignoli cookies, tiramisu, rice pudding, chocolate mousse, strawberry shortcake, chocolate dipped strawberries, and cheesecake.

Once everyone was seated at the table Archie stood up with his glass of wine in his hand. "I'm not that good at speeches like this but I just wanted to say that I've known Robert for a long time and all I ever wanted was for him to be happy. Kat, he has that now with you. You are a wonderful person-the positive influence you've had on his life has been nothing short of amazing. To Robert and Kat, may it be forever dearies!" Archie said with a smile and raised his glass.

"To Robert and Kat!" the guests echoed and clinked their glasses.

"Not bad, Archie. Not bad," Bae said from beside him. "I would've said something smart."

Robert snorted. _I know you would!_

The others laughed.

"What's so funny?" Mark demanded.

"Inside joke," Jeanna mumbled.

Henry was amused watching his father creeping through the buffet piling his plate full of food, relieved that none of the guests could see him or they would've run away screaming in terror or begging someone to call the Ghostbusters.

"Would Mr. and Mrs. Gold please come to the dance floor," the DJ announced.

Robert stood up and bowed gracefully, holding his hand out to his new bride.

"Shall we dance, Signora Gold?" he purred.

"We shall, Signore Gold." She placed her small hand in his they stepped out into the middle of the dance floor. The lights were extinguished and a red spotlight was shining down on the couple with the symbol of a rose beneath their feet.

For the longest time the couple had a difficult time trying to decide on a song that fit them until one night when Kat played him a mix she made of some of her favorite artists. One of the songs was "When You Love a Woman' by Journey. As Robert listened to the lyrics, they seemed to speak to him. He gazed into his new bride's eyes and began to sing the lyrics to her as they glided across the dance floor.

"In my life I see where I've been

I said that I'd never fall again

Within myself I was wrong

My searchin' ain't over...over

I know that...

When you love a woman

You see your world inside her eyes

When you love a woman

You know she's standin' by your side

A joy that lasts forever

There's a band of gold that shines waiting somewhere

If I can't believe that someone is true

To fall in love is so hard to do

I hope and pray tonight

Somewhere you're thinkin' of me girl

Yes I know...I know that

"I always was...every night when I home, waiting for the moment when you would realize I was there all the time, wishing that you would see me..." she whispered.

"I didn't want to believe anyone could love me. Everyone I ever wanted to abandoned me. But you never gave up. You fought for me."

"I always will."

And that made all the difference. She laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes as he continued to sing.

"When you love a woman

You see your world inside her eyes

When you love a woman

You know she's standin' by your side

A joy that lasts forever

There's a band of gold that shines waiting somewhere."

And the band of gold he waited so long to give to the right woman was where it belonged.

"It's enough to make you cry

When you see her walkin' by

And you look into her eyes."

Tears of joy cascaded down Kat's cheeks. After a lifetime of searching she had at last found the man she'd always wanted and he was so much more than she could have hoped for. Never again would she imagine an evil imp when she thought of Rumplestiltskin. Now in her mind, he would be a handsome middle aged man with floofy brown hair wearing brown leather pants, a maroon silk shirt, and a dragonscale vest or an Armani suit.

"When you love a woman...

When you love, love, love, love

When you love a woman . . ."

He raised her chin so that their eyes met again when he sang the final line of the song, changing the lyrics to something that described how he was feeling at that moment.

"I see my world inside your eyes..."

They barely heard the guests' applause as they shared a passionate kiss on the dance floor. Henry, who was filming the dance on his phone heard sniffling beside him and turned to see his father wiping tears from his eyes.

 _You okay, Dad?_

 _I'm fine, Henry...it's just...he needed this so much after everything he went through..._

"Mr. and Mrs Gold would now like to invite all of our other couples in the room to join them for this next song," the DJ announced. The next song was Foreigner's I Want To Know What Love Is.

"Ooooh I love this song! C'mon Doc!" Jeanna cried and grabbed Archie's hand, half dragging him out to the dance floor. Kat and Robert laughed.

"Remind me to do a come-hither spell on you one of these days," Kat teased.

"Oh, would ye now, minx?"

"Aye. If ye try t'run away from me."

"Well now I dinna think I'll be running far."

"No. Ye're stuck wi' me, Robert Gold."

"It's forever, dearie."

She smiled and shook a finger at him. "Now dinna I just tell ye at t'altar I ken it's forever, dearie?"

Robert chuckled. "Your Scot accent is as good as mine...and I'm not even from there!"

"I had a great teacher." She noticed that he was starting to limp more and after the song suggested they sit down. "You used an enchantment spell on your leg, didn't you?"

He nodded. "Wearing off a bit."

Though he enjoyed dancing with his wife, he was relieved to be able to take a rest for a while and she carefully lifted his leg and placed it across her lap while she gently massaged his aching joints.

"Does that feel better, darling?" she asked softly.

"Aye..."

She wanted to use the same enchantment spell to ease his discomfort but they both agreed that using magic in public was dangerous even if people couldn't see it and on Jeanna and Archie's wedding day everyone assumed she'd just been reciting a bit of poetry when she cast the fertility spell on Jeanna. For now she was content to help her husband in practical ways. Magic was part of her life, but she did not crave the power, and took pride in doing things without it as well as with it, and her husband did as well.

After taking a break from dancing, Kat went up to the buffet table to get them some appetizers. Some servers came around with many little appetizers on trays but some were only on the table—like shrimp cocktail, antipasti platters with Italian meats and cheeses, fruit platters, and sushi. She got some of everything on two plates brought it back and they began eating. In short order servers came with other offerings; cocktail hot dogs, stuffed mushrooms with crabmeat, mini eggrolls, clams casino, beef Wellington bites, corned beef sandwich bites, and a delicious bacon cheese dip with crackers, plus small crab claws with cocktail sauce.

Everything was delicious, and most of it made by the bride. There was an open bar with any kind of drink you wished and beer, wine, and champagne was brought to the tables upon request.

Bae, deciding to be a bit of a wiseass still, was sneaking drinks at the bar until his son warned him he would be too drunk to do anything once he took human form. Jeanna politely waved away every drink offered her.

"You have straight OJ?" she asked.

She also had a large plate of desserts in front of her.

"Y'know, Doc, I used to hate cheesecake but now I have to have it with these strawberries and chocolate!"

"You're making me fat watching you eat it!" Henry laughed.

"Well I don't mind that but why do you have these odd cravings that require me to run to the store when I'm ready for bed?"

"I don't know..."

Robert looked over at her. "Dearie, are you having any other weird things happen to you?"

"Well...ummm...my stomach's upset in the morning and I have to use the bathroom more."

He exchanged glances with his wife. "I think, dearie, that Kat's blessing has been fulfilled."

"W-What...are you saying she's ... That we're...we're having a baby?" Archie stammered.

"Am I?" Jeanna asked hopefully.

"Umm . . . you could get a First Response test," Kat muttered.

"Or I can do this," Robert replied, and took Jeanna's hand and extended his magical senses. They encountered another glowing spirit inside of her. He smiled. "You're going to be a mother, dearie."

"Doc..."Jeanna sobbed and threw her arms around her husband.

"Thank you...both of you!" Archie said through his own tears.

"Bobby, you need to show me how to do that," Kat said.

"I will. It's simply a different way of reading living auras," he answered. "It's not hard, at least not for you. But we have time for me to teach you that."

She smiled. "We certainly do."

Though she was still very nervous she was waiting patiently for the party to end and they could be alone at last.

He gave her a rather naughty smirk. "We have the rest of our lives for me to teach you whatever you want me to, _cara mia."_

"Get a room!" Bae slurred

"Oh crap...Grandpa...Dad's really drunk!" Henry whispered.

"M'fiiiine!"

"Baelfire!" Rumple hissed, mortified. "Don't you lie to ME, boy! You're drunk off your ass and I know what drunk is. I LIVED with one for half my childhood!"

"Didn't...think I could...being dead..."

Rumple facepalmed himself. "God save me! When you're human, you react like a human, son! So yes, you CAN!"

"Oh shit... m'sorry, Papa..."

"Oh you will be . . . I have NO doubt of that," the sorcerer said grimly.

His son looked mortified and hung his head.

Robert gave him an exasperated look. "Bae, I thought you would've learned your lesson when you were thirteen and you snuck off with some other boys and sampled old Murdoch's whiskey . . . and you passed out dead drunk on the doorstep afterwards. Have you forgotten what happened the next morning?"

"Umm I was so sick I barely got outta bed."

"Yes and you puked all over ME THREE times!" Robert snapped. "And I had no magic back then and I had to wash clothes in the middle of the blasted winter! And you wondered why I paddled your butt after you were recovered? THAT's why!"

Jeanna grimaced. "Now THAT made me sick..." She pushed her plate aside.

Robert waved a hand and the orange juice sparkled. "Drink that, dearie. Your queasiness will go away."

"Thanks."

"I may drink some of that," spoke up Marian Hood.

She and Robin paid Robert a visit shorty before the wedding to offer to return Bae's apartment to him but he refused and the three of them had a long overdue talk.

"You too?" Kat gasped.

Robert waved a hand over a glass of ginger ale. "Here. I want you to enjoy yourself. Congratulations."

"We are and thank you for inviting us."

A photographer for the society pages snapped a picture of the group as she passed their table. While she was developing the photos later on she noticed an odd shape in one of them, almost like a shadowy extra guest, and blamed it on the camera and poor lighting.

The couple decided to hold the cake cutting ceremony before the bouquet and garter toss. Together they held the ceremonial knife in their hands and cut two slices. Kat smirked and dipped her fingers in her slice and smeared some on her husband's nose and cheeks.

As he tried to do the same to her, his slice slipped out his hands and splattered on the bodice of her dress.

"Oh...ah...didn't intend to do that!"

She giggled. "Dinna play innocent wi' me."

"Well maybe..." he grinned.

She leaned forward and kissed the tip of his nose and gently licked the icing off. "Ye keep doin' that and we'll be ending the party early."

"So why don't we?" she murmured.

"Let's wait until after the bridal dance..."

The couple was planning on donating the funds they made from the dance to support groups for parents of murdered children and for PTSD.

After they cleaned themselves up, Kat walked out to the middle of the dance floor while all the single women formed a line behind her. She tossed the bouquet into the air and it landed in Granny's hands. The older restaurateur smiled and cast a loving glance in Geppetto's direction.

Henry brought out a chair and Kat sat down. Robert kneeled beside his wife, fighting the urge not to blush while ZZ Top's Legs played in the background.

Kat fought to maintain her own composure when having Robert's gentle hand caressing her thigh was a sweet reminder of what was yet to come once they were alone.

"Don't get lost in there, Papa!" Bae teased.

 _Scamp...he's lucky he's gonna be sick in the morning or I would spank him._

 _Well he's a spoke off the old spinning wheel now isn't he?_ Kat sent back.

 _Aye, he_ _is._

His friends teased him mercilessly when he finally stood up with the scrap of lace in his hand. "Took you long enough, Rob. Thought you were gonna save it for tonight!" Mark taunted. His wife elbowed him in the ribs.

"Nothing wrong with getting a sneak preview!" David joked, earning a kick in the foot from Snow and a raspberry from Neal.

The single men formed a line behind the groom and Robert tossed the garter over his back. Slick as a cat, Geppetto advanced to the front of the line and snatched it before anyone else could.

"Way to go, Marco!" Ruby cheered.

"Couldn't keep me away from it," he said firmly as he placed it on a blushing Granny's thigh.

"And now ladies and gentlemen, the bride and groom would like to welcome you all to the dance floor to share one last dance with them before they say goodnight. All of the proceeds will be donated to several support groups for parents of murdered children and PTSD." the DJ announced.

Many of the people who stepped forward dropped hundred dollar bills into the silk purse Jeanna was holding, knowing both causes were dear to Robert's heart.

After the dance was over Robert faced the guests with his arm around Kat's shoulder and smiled. "We'd like to thank you all for coming and we'll see you in a few weeks. Arriverderci!"

When they returned to Robert's house, now theirs, they found a sober Bae waiting for them in human form. He bowed to Kat. "May I have my dance now, Mama?" he asked softly.

"You...you called me Mama..." she gasped.

"Why not? My own mother wasn't much of one . . . Belle was more like a friend...except she really wasn't in the end...and you're the only one of my father's wives who's made me feel like a son."

"In that case, let's dance, son."

Robert stood back and watched them, brushing tears from his eyes, recalling all the times after Milah left them how Bae cried for his mother, asking him why she was gone. For the longest time Bae believed she was dead but learning the truth had been more painful than the lie.

"I'm sorry I was a drunk idiot, Mama...first it started out as having fun but then I started thinking about Emma and me...and how we could've been ..."

"It's all right, Bae. But you do know there are other angels in Heaven, don't you? Maybe there's one waiting for you."

"You think so?"

"Yes, I do."

Bae was enjoying these brief moments with his new mother that he hated to leave though he knew he had to. He could feel the summoning. "Papa, Mama...I have to go now...but I'll see you in a week."

They both hugged him. "We'll miss you until then, Bae," Robert said softly. "Now go sleep off that booze!"

He laughed and vanished.

"Now then dearie, are ye ready to see my castle?"

"Bobby, your castle is in the Enchanted Forest and we'll need a portal to get there! I don't see any magic beans lying around."

He waved his hand and a pair of sliver slippers appeared in them. "Well it's a good thing I was able to get my hands on these, now isn't it?"

Kat's eyes widened. "Are those what I think they are?"

"Aye and now ye'll get to play Dorothy, sweetheart." He handed the slippers to her. She put them on, unable to believe that she was actually wearing the shoes she'd always wished to have that would take her to the places she always dreamed of seeing.

"Now what do I do?"

"Picture my castle as I described it in your mind, tap your heels three times and we'll be off."

Having been able to see Robert's memories as if they were her own, Kat had a clear picture of the Dark Castle in her mind. She reached for his hand and clicked her heels three times.

Silver smoked wreathed her and when it faded Kat found herself staring up at a castle that looked like something out of a Highland legend. It had broad sweeping walls surrounding it, and the courtyard was paved with shimmering white and gold paving stones that glittered when the light struck them. A fountain made of white marble striated with gold veins with a rearing unicorn graced the middle of the courtyard, with crystal clear water flowing down in graceful streams into a burbling basin.

"Bobby...I think I took us to the wrong place," she moaned.

Trees and bushes, including many varieties of roses and golden oaks and aspens were placed about the lawn and entry way leading up to the castle. The castle itself was made of golden blocks of stone, unlike anything she had ever seen, and the crenellations and roofs of the four towers arched upwards like delicate lacey fingers towards the sky. It was beautiful, ethereal, and utterly magical.

Above the lintel was a crest of a spinning wheel in front of a sunburst

"Welcome to Castello d' Oro sweetheart," Robert said softly. "This is my castle . . .only it's no longer the Dark One's abode. Now it is ours . . .and it has become like this to celebrate the return of its master and mistress-the strongest practitioners of the Light in the Enchanted Forest."

"It's . . .incredible! Like something out of a storybook!"

"Come on, dearie. Let's go inside, it's been waiting to welcome you home," Robert sad gallantly, then he lifted her in his arms and walked towards the castle entrance.

The huge oak doors swung wide, and he carried his bride over the threshold.

As he did so, rose petals of pink and red fluttered down over them as the castle welcomed its master and mistress home.

The castle sensed that tonight was a special night for the master and its new mistress and prepared itself for them. A warm bath was drawn with a special rose scented water to soften the skin as well as rose shaped and scented soaps. A stack of white fluffy towels was neatly folded on the edge of the tube and two monogrammed robes hung on the back of the doors. Several wind sprites flew about the castle placing vases of freshly cut flowers in each of the rooms while the beds were changed with fresh sheets and blankets. In the kitchen; a housefrau fae named Mikka lived underneath the stove. She would provide the master with fresh and hot foods for a simple price: a piece of cloth for a bed and milk and honey to drink. She was only four inches tall with golden brown skin, dandelion fluff hair, and a pleasant sweet face with a kerchief and a green plaid dress and apron, but no shoes. Her eyes were nut brown and her ears pointed as was typical of a fae. In her belt she carried her prized cooking spoon and a pair of scissors.

However, if you crossed her, Mikka's punishments were rather amusing. No longer would you enjoy her delicious food for it would taste like garbage...or worse and clothing would no longer fit comfortably, too tight in the most inconvenient places.

The dungeons, one of which had been Belle's room when she first arrived at the castle had been transformed into magical workrooms for mages and apprentices could practice the craft freely without fear of destroying the castle along with Robert's lab and storerooms for extra food and supplies as well as his vast collection of magical items.

Kat looked about the castle foyer and noted how sparkling clean and lovely it was. Then she noticed the patterns of a spinning wheel, rose, and a book on the mosaic tile and asked, "Was the castle always like this? Or did it change when your curse broke?"

"It changed when my curse was broken," Robert answered. "A dark castle is no place for a Light magician."

But also the castle wished to remove all traces of the woman that once lived there, the one who brought the master pain and sorrow with her betrayal.

Kat walked into a large great room, where deep purple velvet drapes were pulled back from the floor length windows with gold braided cords, and the gardens beyond the windows were clearly visible as the sunlight streamed in. The floor here was of golden oak and a fire danced in the fireplace. An old spinning wheel was before the hearth, with baskets of amber straw about it. A table was set for two and a chaise lounge chair was pulled up near the fire with plush pillows.

Tapestries hung on the wall . . . of Merlin the great magician forging Excalibur with the help of the great dragon, a lady petting a unicorn in a garden of roses, and a firebird singing its heart out to a young boy with a red ball that looked like Bae as a child.

Robert wove them himself nearly a century earlier as comfort while he waited for the person who could cast his curse and take him back to his precious son.

There were candelabras of scented beeswax candles in holders and they gave off a delicate sweet scent, and higher up were steadily burning globes of magical light.

"Oh Bobby! These tapestries are gorgeous! They look like they belong in a museum!" his wife exclaimed. She stroked the delicate weave with a hand.

"Oh...ahhh...well...I wouldn't say that..." he said modestly.

She looked at him shrewdly. "YOU wove these, didn't you?"

"I did..."

"They are works of art." She took his hand and clasped it to her. "Just like you."

"You're the only woman who has ever thought so..."

"The others were fools not to see what was right in front of them-a treasure more precious than gold-the love of a man who was cursed to never love anyone, yet who managed to anyway."

He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. "And you are my _astor_ , my treasure."

Her hands glided up his arms as she gazed into his coca colored eyes and said, "There is none so blind as those who will not see. But I see true-I see the face of a man who battled darkness within and without, and even when he failed he picked himself up and tried again. The brightest light does not come from those who have never known darkness, but those who have faced it and triumphed in spite of it. You have walked through the valley of the shadow, Bobby, and now at last are embraced by the light. You are my war mage, my beloved protector."

"Anyone who tries to harm you will learn quickly that though I am a light mage I can still kick their arses and make them run home to Mama."

"And that, sweetheart, is how it should be. And anyone who tries to harm you will discover that no one does vendetta better than an Italian witch," she crooned, then she pulled his head down and kissed him fiercely.

"Now then _cara mia_ , shall we retire?"

"Of course. But you'll need to escort me to wherever this bedroom is," she giggled.

"With pleasure!" He scooped her up in his arms and carried her up the grand marble staircase to the west wing of the castle. The double doors to his suite, with a claddagh crest carved into them, opened prior to their arrival and the scent of honeyed roses filled the air.

Kat's eyes widened. "Bobby, that bed-it's fit for a queen! And it's huge!"

"And the queen has come home at last," he murmured.

"Me, sir?" she teased, pointing to herself.

"Aye, lass. Ye."

"And you are my king-my sorcerer prince," she purred, looking at the thick white plush fur on the floor. "Help me out of my gown?"

"With pleasure..."

His fingers trembled slightly while he untied the laces of her gown, he'd made some alterations to it so that it was less constricting than the gowns of the period had been.

It had been centuries since he'd had a proper wedding night and even his first wedding night had not been memorable. Milah went to his bed claiming innocence and he'd believed her, especially after the fuss she made the following morning but later on he heard rumors in the market that she'd faked the evidence on the sheets with animal blood.

Then he thought of Belle and their wedding night in the Apprentice's home. All he wanted to do was fulfill her fantasy and dance with her as the Beast did with Belle in the cartoon but when it came time for bed, the guilt and shame he felt over the incident with Zelena paralyzed him.

It had been painful for him to tell her that night that he wasn't ready to make love and it appeared that she understood but now he wasn't sure she did.

Kat shimmied out of her gown and went to hang it up in the closet but found that a zephyr had whisked it away for her. She turned, still in her slip and undergarments and said, "Oh damn! I forgot, I have no nightgown here. Although I suppose I don't need one right now . . ."

Blushing, she sat down on the edge of the bed and removed her silk stockings and shoes.

He waved his hand and conjured a gown of ivory silk with blush pink accents, almost like a Roman gown, with pleats in the skirt, coming down to midcalf, with straps and accented with pink ribbons and gold roses. "Will this do, cara mia?" he inquired softly and held it out to her.

"Oh!" she gasped in pleasure. "Bobby, it's perfect!" she clasped the gown to her. "Thank you!" she beamed at him, kissed him on the cheek, then ran into the bathroom to remove the rest of her undergarments and try it on. She removed the pins and her headpiece and left them on the vanity, letting her dark curls tumble willfully down her shoulders. Unpinned her hair was riotous and she feared what he would say when he saw it, as he had never seen it except when it was pulled back or confined with bunches of pins.

He changed into his own pajamas while he waited for her, trying several of the calming techniques Archie had taught him to relax.

Self-consciously, she ran her fingers through her hair. Then she stopped, biting her lip. "Damn! Maybe I should have cut it off!"

Taking a deep breath, she opened the door to the bathroom and stood shyly on the threshold.

She prayed she didn't resemble the Bride of Frankenstein with her crazy hair.

The moment he saw her, he was once again at a loss for words. She was every inch the picture of innocence, this new bride of his, yet older and wiser in so many ways than Belle.

"So . . . how do I look?" she asked, playfully batting her lashes in a come-hither gesture. "And you can be honest, I know my hair is a little wild."

"D'ye think mine's not, lass?"

The nightgown fit perfectly though and she loved how it felt upon her, having never worn anything like it because what did she need a sexy nightgown for by herself?

He chuckled and advanced toward her slowly with a seductive smile on his lips.

"Yours is wonderful!" she cried. "I like to run my hands through it. I like to play with hair," she admitted, half-embarrassed.

"Tis a vice of mine too, sweetheart," he murmured.

"Then you don't think I'm weird? The last date I had-which was ages ago-he thought I was strange when I said I wanted to run my fingers through his hair when I kissed him . . . and he said that when I played with my curls I was acting like a bored child."

"Then we are indeed two of a kind," he answered as he reached out to stroke her hair and leaned forward to kiss her.

She met his questing lips with her own, and drowned in the sensations he elicited in her. Her hands wound around his head and she ran her fingers through his silky lush hair, stroking it delightedly.

The experience was almost as erotically stimulating as his kiss.

Unlike other men he would take his time with her for a virgin bride was to be treated with care so that her experience would be one she would remember rather than forget.

She broke off the kiss and said, "I can't believe this is actually happening . . . because when I was a teenager in high school I felt I would never marry or even date anyone because I was shy, awkward, and ugly with my thick glasses and I wasn't exactly skinny. And my hair was like the Bride of Frankenstein's-all over the place." Her eyes were far away as she admitted in a whisper, "These boys used to tease me, they used to say guys don't make passes at girls who wear glasses and said that I needed to pose for Brillo commercials."

"Were they here now I would turn them into snails and crush them under my boots," he growled. "I was told some of the same things, cara mia...no woman would want to marry the son of a coward, that I was ugly..."

"You? I bet you were adorable. And I would have kicked their asses." she declare hotly. "Children can be so cruel and insensitive, especially those who are bullies and think it's cool to make fun of someone so they fit in with the cool crowd."

"Unfortunately bullying is something that has been around for centuries and it seems to be worse in this day and age. But...enough about that. Tonight is for other things..."

And tonight he wanted them both to have the wedding night they longed for.

She smiled sweetly. "I think you are . . . fantastically handsome, Mr. Gold. The man of my dreams . . ."

Coming from her, he had no doubts that it was true. He picked her up in his arms and carried her over to the bed.

"And ye, Mrs. Gold, are a beauty beyond compare, without and within, body, mind, and soul." His eyes shone with utter sincerity.

"Bobby . . .I want you to show me . . . how to pleasure a man," she said earnestly. "Because that's something that with all of my reading . . . I don't know how to do."

He found himself blushing. "Well..ahhhh...I'll certainly try, sweetheart."

"Some of the girls at the office . . .they told me to . . .read some of those sex books and they would tell me what to do. So I went to look at them in the bookstore . . .and . . .oh God, Bobby . . .I started laughing like an idiot at the illustrations and stuff . . .because I felt like it looked like they were playing Twister or doing some weird medical experiment . . .and I never like reading all those erotic romance novels because they made sex sound unrealistic especially when they described a man's penis . . ." she started giggling.

"W...what?" he gasped. "What kind of trash are they publishing these days?"

"Oh my God! You have no idea! I mean there are so many of these trashy books . . . some are horribly erotic and . . .well you've heard of 50 Shades of Grey haven't you? About the billionaire who gets this girl to do what he calls BSDM things with him . . .he has this red room and he initiates her into some kooky thing where he uses kinky sex toys on her and spanks her and stuff . . .it's so degrading but millions of women thought he was sexy. Made me want to puke."

"Oh that. Yes...and then I heard they published another version of the same story with just him talking. Do you remember the Westin Publishing case? They published a fan fiction piece without knowing it was and I had to settle with the original author of the work it was based on. Not that I enjoyed it."

She rolled her eyes. "People are so stupid. And yes, I do. And I've heard that the 50 Shades was originally fanfiction that was altered to appear like original fiction and the author the fanfic was based off of, Stephanie Meyer, was suing EL James."

"If she does it will be quite a battle and I would love to represent her but she does have her own attorney."

"Yes and I'm sure they'll make sure that everyone knows the truth about those books. They aren't even good fanfiction!"

"Well, there'll be none of that nonsense in our marriage."

"I would never think so. Not that I would ever allow you to raise a hand to me, or to treat me like a child. I trust you . . . with my heart and with my life."

"I will never raise a hand to you," he vowed.

"I'd never have married you if I thought you would," she told him. "I have my self respect, beloved."

"But you do know it will hurt a wee bit at first...?"

She nodded. "I know . . . but I trust you will not be too rough with me."

"No, I would never be that." His fingers grasped the straps of her nightgown. "We can wait if you want..."

"No. I want you to make love to me. I want to be your wife in every sense of the word. You're not nervous, are you?"

"A bit," he confessed. "Belle and I didn't ..."

"Do you want to wait? We can if you don't feel ready. I won't think any less of you."

"No...I will not give that green whore another victory over me!"

"Then let us banish her forever, _caro mio_!"

Once again the face of Zelena flashed before his eyes in her low cut dress, her mother's wiles, throwing herself at him like some tart in a tavern, moaning like a lusty goat while they kissed, freedom almost within his grasp.

He stiffened and closed his eyes, trying to shove the memory away.

Kat felt his sudden withdrawal and she wrapped her arms about him and kissed him, letting her empathic touch soothe him and drive the memory of that green bitch away, cocooning him with her love. _He is MINE, bitch! Now get thee hence to hell, strega! You are finished, putana_! she sent.

He could feel the memory fleeing, as the green ho witch was sent wailing into the dark, and his soul was freed at last. Freed by the love and power of a woman he could at last trust to love him truly, without reservation, and to love all of him, whether cursed or uncursed, as Belle could not.

He opened his eyes, relaxing, and said feelingly, "Thank you for that, sweetling. You have set me free at last."

His hand caressed her cheek, slowly moving down her face to cup her chin in his hand. "And now . . .I want you to tell me if I do anything that makes you uncomfortable, dearie. Do ye ken?"

"I trust you, Bobby," she said softly.

"Then let me show ye how beautiful ye are, dearie, and how much I love ye . . ." he murmured, and kissed her, his hands stroking her curly hair in a sensuous dance, twirling it about his fingers like a skein of thread.

He took his time, letting her feel every sensation he was evoking in her, gently slipping her nightgown from her, caressing her and admiring her with his hands and mouth, and then letting her do the same with him.

Kat had never touched a man this way before, but she found her shyness evaporated as her curiosity took over, and she explored his body, discovering him like a new spell or a book she had never read, and adoring him more by the moment. He made her feel beautiful the way no man ever had, as she had never known a man who was physically attracted to her before.

His hands caressed her, whispering, "Relax, dearie. Do ye know how good ye make me feel? I have never felt like this with any woman, not Milah, or Cora, or Belle . . . never in all of my centuries have I loved a woman this way . . .with all of me. So, like ye, I come virgin to yer bed, dearie . . ."

"Truly, Bobby? Not one?"

"Never. Ye are my own true heart . . ." He banished the rest of his clothing and lay down beside her. "Now, lass, do ye think I am sexy?"

She stared at him unabashed. "You know I do, you sexy thing!" she purred. "And you . . . you make me feel like I'm a princess . . ."

"Because ye are, my Kat. Ye are as beautiful as a midsummer night's dream, only I am awake and not asleep. I love every inch of ye . . .from your wild curly hair to yer tiny feet." Grinning, he tickled her foot.

"Robert Gold!" she giggled. "You imp!"

His eyes twinkled. "Aye, love. I am that."

He ran his hand down her foot again.

She laughed and cried, "But you're MY imp!" Then she retaliated by tickling him under the arm.

He began to laugh too, and the sound was music to her ears. "Ye saucy little minx!"

"What's good for the goose is good for the gander!" she smirked.

"Watch it, dearie. I give as good as I get," he warned, then proceeded to kiss her senseless.

He made her feel as if she were reborn and the sensations he aroused in her made her project her emotions unconsciously to him, so he felt her delight and responded accordingly to it.

Because of this, he felt instinctively when her body was ready to accept him, and he was able to make their lovemaking almost painless, despite her virginity. As they came together at last, she cried soundlessly into his mind, _I love thee_ , _Rumplestiltskin Robert Gold!_

Because they were linked, his pleasure was her pleasure and it reverberated through him like a shockwave, like nothing he had ever felt before. _And I love thee, Katherine Gold! It's forever, dearie!_ Then he soared with her into the endless vault of heaven, entwined with her like two strands of the same thread, together for all of eternity.

Sometime later, as Kat slept curled beside him on the pillow, the former imp of the fairytales stirred, recalling something he had almost forgotten, being so busy with preparations for his wedding. He slipped like a ghost from his bed and went to a certain chest at the foot of it.

Raising the lid, he removed a certain contract from it, along with a letter he had written a week ago in an envelope with his new seal—a claddagh encircling sheaves of straw. He checked the mantel clock, and counted the minutes till it struck midnight.

Then he cupped his hands, and Saw in a glittering globe a woman sitting on a garden bench and a man sleeping in a familiar bed. His eyes flashed and his mouth tightened in a grim line.

 _So . . . you didn't take me seriously, did you? Too bad. Tick tock, dearie. Tick tock._

He waved a hand and the globe and the letter vanished.

Then he grasped the contract in both hands and ripped it in half, the parchment shredding beneath his fingers with a satisfying tearing noise. As he did so, the paper glowed with silent white fire and was consumed by the magic within, dusting the carpet with black specks.

 **Page~*~*~*~Break**

A realm away, in the town he left behind, the woman who had abandoned him at the town line lay awake while her lover snored beside her, tears streaming down her cheeks as she wondered what might have been.

On the floor beside the bed lay a copy of a New York newspaper announcing the wedding of Robert Gold to Katherine Fiochetta.

Downstairs on the desk that had once been Rumple's office were documents that had been delivered over a month ago...an eviction notice and a copy of divorce papers. She'd signed them without hesitation the day she received them, still angry at him for lying to her yet again.

Now that he'd moved on, she was trying to move on herself only she was learning quickly that a man like Rumplestiltskin was not easily replaced.

It was never more evident than now. With Rumple she was able to sit and have long intellectual discussions, Will never even picked up a book. The only one he was familiar with was the phone book.

Will's idea of a date was going to the Rabbit Hole for drinks and shooting pool, something she once did while she was Lacey and even when they went to dinner at Granny's, she paid for everything. He was still trying to find a job.

She'd taken him to her bed that night, wanting to forget that this night was also Rumple's wedding night and he was no doubt enjoying it with his new bride but the moment Will called her 'Anna" during their lovemaking (if it could even be called that) she knew the relationship couldn't continue.

The house was filled with little trinkets Rumple bought for her when they were together but all the flowers he bought her had long since died, gifts she'd taken for granted and came to expect until she was with a man who claimed he couldn't afford to give her anything. A man who, it seemed, was still in love with his wife, despite their separation. Will hardly ever spoke of Anastasia, but she remained an invisible presence in his life—and in Belle's.

She got out of bed and put on her robe, leaving Will snoring away to go downstairs to the garden she and Rumple once tended with loving care. While she was sitting on the bench an envelope appeared on her lap, sealed in the old way, written in a hand she knew well.

Her heart lifted.

Until she opened it and read the words written by the man she once vowed she'd never stop fighting for...the man she once called the 'Beast'.

 **You promised me forever, and you broke your word to me, and now you're going to regret it . . . and I leave you now as you left me, the first time you abandoned me-with an empty heart and a chipped cup . . . Goodbye, Belle. . . . forever.**

It was signed with a flourish and sealed with a purple blob of wax imprinted with a sheaf of straw surrounded by a band of gold of two hands clasping a heart.

She stared at the stark word uncomprehendingly, reality striking her a hard blow as she finally absorbed the fact that their relationship was over for good.

"Belle, Belle what the bloody hell is going on!" she heard Will shout from behind her.

She turned around and gasped in horror when she realized there was only an empty space where Rumple's salmon pink Victorian once stood.

And in the middle of the lot was a chipped teacup.

Belle picked up the cup and cradled it in her hands, sinking to her knees. "What have I done?" she sobbed. "What have I done?"

At Castello D'Oro, Rumple crept back into in his new bride's arms, cuddling her to him, the demons of his past banished forever in her loving embrace. Closing his eyes, he slept, the beast slumbering beside his beauty, his last thoughts before drifting off, _I was wrong, Papa. Villains DO get happy endings. When they are loved truly and love in return._

 **A/N: Hope you all enjoyed the tribute to the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale here. Next-many meetins occur as Anastasia comes searching for her errant husband and confronts him and Belle, and Belle comes to NY to find Rumple and encounters the new Mrs. Gold. Sparks will fly, dearies!**


	13. The Heart of the Matter

**~ The Heart of the Matter ~**

 _I've been trying to get down to the heart of the matter_

 _Because the flesh will get weak_

 _And the ashes will scatter_

 _So I'm thinking about forgiveness_

 _Forgiveness_

 _Even if, even if you don't love me_

 _Don Henley – Heart of the Matter_

 **Storybrooke**

"What have you done? What have you done? Stolen my husband, _darling_ , that's what you've done!" a woman hissed.

Belle rose to her feet and turned to face a tall blond woman dressed in a red velvet gown, a white rabbit in a suit at her side. She glanced over at Will. His face was pale, thinking he was seeing a ghost and not Anastasia, the Red Queen.

"A…A…Anna? But…but…how?! I thought…"

"You thought Jafar killed me…again?"

"I saw him crush your heart!" he cried.

Will's last memories of Wonderland had not been pleasant ones. Jafar, the wicked sorcerer from Agrabah, had been freed from the bottle where he now lived as a genie by a foolish master who didn't understand what he was unleashing on the realm. Genie wishes like all magic came with a price and Jafar had convinced his slow-witted master to grant him his freedom never imagining that the price would be his life. No longer tied to the bottle, Jafar returned to seek revenge against two of the people who had defeated him, Will and Anastasia….the King and Queen of Wonderland.

While Will led their forces into battle against Jafar's human followers Anna engaged Jafar in a magical duel. She had stopped using magic shortly before her marriage and was no match for the more experienced sorcerer. When Will's forces reached the palace Jafar had removed Anna's heart and crushed it before her agonized husband's eyes. It had been the second time Will was forced to watch the woman he loved die and this time there would be no magical well water to restore her. There was nothing Will wanted more than to join her in death but Jafar had a far worse punishment in store…sending him back where he came from….Storybrooke.

"You forget who my tutor was darling. I removed it before I faced him. The heart he crushed was one from The Queen of Hearts' vault."

"You…you knew Cora?" Belle asked fearfully.

"She trained me," Anna answered.

"Anna…if he didn't crush your heart…"

"I wasn't strong enough to fight him Will. You know I stopped using magic after we got married. He took me captive. And you…. _darling_ …" she sneered at Belle, "enjoyed yourself with my husband while I was at the mercy of one of the darkest mages in all the realms!" She held up a mirror. "Jafar enjoyed making me see you together in this while I fought to recover my strength! And I did recover it and sent him back into the bottle where he belongs and made certain NO ONE will ever free him again!"

"You can't blame all of this on me!" Belle cried.

"Can't I?" Anna countered. "You may not have known I was dead darling but you knew YOUR husband was alive! You pursued Will, he did not pursue you! You used him to replace YOUR OWN HUSBAND! Now you're just going to have to find another replacement because MINE is going back with ME!" She gestured and the younger woman fell to the ground. "Did you think I would let him go after everything we had together…after I DIED for him? You don't love him, you never loved him. The only man you love is the one in this silly book!" Anna gestured again and Her Handsome Hero appeared in her hand. "Real men do not live in books, darling!"

"Anna…please…" Will pleaded, moving forward. Anna's eyes met his. She gestured again and cast an immobilization spell though it pained her to do so.

"I want her to feel the pain I felt all those months in Jafar's cage seeing her using you! You only wanted to be left alone. You thought I was dead and you wanted to grieve. She had a husband who was alive, that she could have saved as you saved me but she cast him out and latched onto you. WHY DIDN'T YOU LEAVE HIM ALONE!" she screamed in Belle's ear, tempted to use the book to slap some sense into the foolish girl. "Rabbit, dig!" she commanded.

The white rabbit drew a circle in the ground. Anna seized Belle by the arm and dragged the screaming girl toward the portal and threw her in. Belle found herself in a cage hanging high above a ceiling in a tower, a mirror attached to the bars. In that mirror she could hear her every thought, see every action throughout her relationship with Will but she refused to accept any blame for her actions.

"I didn't know she was alive!" she cried, pounding on the bars. "I'm innocent! Let me go!"

Anna appeared in the tower.

"Innocent, darling?" Anna laughed harshly. "That's not how I see it. You say you hated magic yet you married a mage, the most powerful one in all the realms, and was unfaithful to him with another woman's husband." She didn't remind repeating this. She would as often as she wished hoping that it would sink in to that silly girl's mind. "Were my heart still filled with darkness I would blast that cage and let you fall to your death or burn you for the adulteress you are! But seeing the darkness in your own soul in that mirror should bring you off that pedestal you think you're on." The Red Queen spun on her heel and left the tower, the pleas of the frightened woman occupying the prison that was once hers falling on deaf ears. She would be released….eventually.

Page~*~*~*~Break

Belle knew she was probably making a mistake but she no longer cared. She had to see Rumple one last time. She had to tell him she was wrong...and maybe, just maybe there was a chance they could start over. She didn't believe he loved this woman he married thought she did enjoy reading her books. She was his true love not this Katherine. She believed that with all her heart despite what she'd seen in the mirror in Anna's cage. The Red Queen had finally released her after six months of imprisonment. There were times when she realized how Rumple must've felt in Zelena's cage only Zelena's prison had been far worse. The queen hadn't tortured her captive, the mirror had done that. She was as terrified of the things she'd seen in Anna's mirror as she had been of the things she'd seen the night the darkness came at her. Time was different in Wonderland and only a few weeks had passed in Storybrooke. She wasn't surprised no one was searching for her. She had few friends left in Storybrooke. They were fleeing the town in droves under the cover of darkness through the mines. They were following a magical beacon sent out by Rumple, invisible to the dark queens, guiding them to safety in New York. Those still in the town were being protected by the fairies as much as they could be. All of them lived in fear of the day the dark queens would begin their reign of terror but for the moment they were indulging their sensuous pleasures, praying to the dark gods to give them a child.

Once her father realized her plan was to reunite with Rumple, Moe decided he wanted nothing more to do with her. She was forced to move in with Ruby, the only person she trusted completely and took a job at a bookstore while attending classes at a local college.

"Ruby, I might be late coming home today."

"Why?"

"I'm going to see Rumple…to tell him….I want to…"

"Belle, no! Leave him alone. Leave them alone."

"He can't be happy with her. He can't!"

"He is! Don't you dare go over there and try to mess things up!"

"Me mess things up?" Belle asked angrily.

"Yes you! Look, all those months he was gone, I only knew your side of the story. Now I know his side too and you're not entirely innocent in all this but the best thing you can do right now is live your life and let him live his."

"No," Belle said stubbornly. "Not until we talk this out."

Ruby sighed. "Fine. But remember, you asked for this!"

Kat was baking-having decided to make cheddar rosemary scones that day while the baby napped. She had just pulled the pan from the oven when the doorbell rang.

Belle waited anxiously on the other side, hoping Rumple would be home alone so that they could talk. She rang the doorbell again.

Kat went and opened the door, after peering through the keyhole to make sure it wasn't someone with a ski mask trying to rob her. "Hello. I'm Kat Gold, how may I help you?" she asked politely.

"I'm...looking for Robert...I'm Belle...his ex-wife."

Oh how she hated saying that now.

And according to the letter he'd written...they were never even married.

Kat was floored. For a moment, then she regained her equilibrium. So this was the woman who had broken her husband's heart? She said quickly, "Robert isn't home, he's at work." She debated about inviting her in, then decided that it was, after all, the polite thing to do. "Won't you come in? Since you've driven down here from New England, the least I can do is offer you something to drink. Iced tea? Coffee?" she asked calmly. She was fighting her instincts not to strangle the other woman.

"Tea would be wonderful...thank you."

Kat stepped back to allow her inside. Playing the proper hostess, she led her into the kitchen.

Belle followed her into the house, seeing Rumple's influence in the decor along with that of his wife's, both seemed to have an interest in antiquities. She also saw a copy of Kat's new novel sitting on the end table beside a black leather recliner.

A white cat dozing under the table awoke suddenly and eyed the newcomer with interest.

She was a Persian with blue eyes that the couple adopted from the shelter and had become Kat's familiar.

The kitchen was state-of-the art and looked very much like it had come out of Italian Country Kitchens magazine. It was roomy, comfortable, and homey. The kind of place you could relax in. The scones were cooling on the counter.

"That's Vivianne. She's normally shy around strangers," Kat told Belle.

"She's adorable," Belle murmured and reached down to pet her. The cat backed away and hissed.

 _So this is the bitch, eh?_

 _You said it, darling,_ Kat sent to her.

 _I want to scratch her eyes out._

 _No . . .I can take care of her. Trust me. Besides, you wouldn't want to wreck your claws._

 _No I would not. That tom down the road thinks he can have me for his little plaything. Well he can just settle for that silly Angora._

 _Good for you, Vivi!_ _Never settle for anything other than good and decent_.

 _Why indeed?_ she said and winked.

"Perhaps you'd better just leave her be. She might get scared enough to scratch you," she warned Belle, sensing her familiar could only hold onto her temper for so long.

"All right. Maybe she'll get used to me..."

 _Not a chance in hell, lady!_

"Come into the kitchen. I have some cheddar scones if you're hungry and how do you take your tea?" she said, sounding like someone out of the Martha Stewart show. She knew that being polite would keep Belle off balance.

"Ummm...with a bit of lemon please and those scones smell delicious."

Belle was taken aback by how hospitable the new Mrs. Gold was being. She expected the older woman to launch a tirade and order her out of her house. She also found herself wondering if Rumple kept as many secrets from her.

"Thank you. I just made them. Bobby loves them with some tea after he comes home from the office." She began to put the kettle on and put some of her tea into a cup, removing a container of lemons from the fridge and also putting some sugar and sweetener on the table along with a spoon and plate with a scone on it.

Merlin, a grey Persian with amber eyes, strolled through the kitty door and stopped when he also saw the newcomer.

 _Who is this?_

 _Belle, Rumple's ex-wife_ , Kat answered the silent query as she served the other woman.

 _Ahh I see. Will the master need to hide the body when you finish?_

 _Perhaps . . . I can certainly make her wish it so_ , she replied with a slight smirk.

He lay down on the floor beside his mate. _This is a show I will enjoy immensely._

Belle took a small bite of the scone. "Oh...these are delicious...Did Rum...Robert teach you how to make them?"

Kat shook her head. "No, these are an old recipe I learned from my mother. All the women in my family can cook and bake."

She got her own cup of tea and scone before sitting down.

"I'm sorry to come here unannounced but there were some things I wanted to talk to Rum...Robert about that I didn't get a chance to before we ahhh . . . separated."

 _Is that what she calls running him out of town, Mistress?_ demanded Vivi.

 _The nerve,_ added Merlin.

Kat's eyes narrowed. "You mean before you kicked him over the town line-or should I say commanded him to leave and never return?" she demanded softly. There was steel beneath the silk now. "Oh don't look so shocked, I know exactly who you are, who Rumple is, and where you all came from."

The spoon Belle was holding dropped onto her plate. "And what exactly did he tell you?"

She knew her former husband toyed with words as much as he did people...but there was some good in him...once.

"He told me he was once a poor spinner named Rumplestiltskin, with a young son named Baelfire he loved very much. His son was his whole world since his wife abandoned them both to play harlot with a fast talking slick pirate when Bae was four. Bae was his only family. Then the trouble with the ogres started and the duke's men paid them a visit . . .and wanted to take a 14 year old boy off to battle no man could win . . .and so Rumple was forced to make a deal with the devil-and become cursed and lose his soul to darkness."

"So you know he was the Dark One. Did he tell you what he did when he was the Dark One?"

He told her some things but she had a sneaking suspicion he hadn't told either of them everything.

"Yes, I know he was a cursed man with a demon inside him that made him do horrible things. He told me some of what he did and how it made him feel. I didn't ask him to go into complete details with me because I understood what it was that he had endured . . . and I admired him for being able to even think about acting in a manner counter to what the demon wished him to do. He told me the host was very like being the victim of a rape. He also told me about how he made a deal with you to come to his castle with him. A deal he didn't have to make but he did because you-intrigued him."

"So he hasn't been completely honest with you either. And that doesn't upset you?"

"What's complete honesty mean to you? That you need to see into every nook and cranny of his soul? That you need to ferret out all his guilty little secrets? I'm his wife, not his confessor. He's answerable to God, not to me. You telling me you told him every little dirty secret you ever had? I don't think so! I know enough . . . for I am a mage too, and I know precisely how the darkest of curses work-because I'm a cursebreaker."

"Wh...what?" Belle gasped.

Kat laid her hands on the table, her wedding band and engagement ring glinting beside her mage ring. "I'm also a healer. I heal what was lost and broken." The ring was a solid purple cabochon set in a filigree eternity knot. "Only I never knew that until I met Rumple. And only now have I started to master my birthright. You see, this isn't A Land Without Magic, it's just a land with different magic than any you and yours have ever known."

She twirled the stone around on her finger. "And the influx of science has damped down the magical fields here."

"But can't you be happy...without magic? That was all I wanted with him but it wasn't enough! He chose his power over me!"

"What makes you say that? We are perfectly happy with magic as without it. Magic is not the issue here. Rumple being cursed IS. Why would you ever assume he had a choice? In what he became? Don't you understand that a curse takes away ALL choices, especially one like his? He's not his own master, he's a slave to the demon in the dagger . . . and any choice he tries to make is always tainted by it. If you were so concerned over him, why the hell didn't you break his curse? Why?"

"I tried! I gave him true love's kiss...and it didn't work...he pulled back... threw me out of his castle and said his power meant more to him than me."

"And you believed that? That's not the way I heard it. I heard he told you to go, because he thought you were in league with his old enemy, the Evil Queen . . . and you CHOSE to leave. You knew the reason why he wanted you to go, he was afraid to think anyone loved him, because no one ever had. So he pulled away, like a scared animal he lashed out, and you ran from him instead of staying and reassuring him that you wouldn't leave. You behaved like everyone else he'd ever known . . . you LEFT. Did you ever ask him WHY he didn't want his curse broken? Why he was afraid? And why did you lie to him about meeting Regina on the road? Why would he trust you when you didn't tell him the truth?"

"I went back but Regina captured me before...and then the curse struck..."

"But you broke your deal before that. Why? Why didn't you stay?"

Belle took a deep breath. "I...I..was hurt...I thought maybe it would be best for both of us if I left but I tried to go back but I was afraid he'd send me away again." She sighed. "He once told me magic was a crutch he couldn't walk without...and he couldn't."

"You're wrong. He could . . . and he did here in New York, after you banished him without food, water, a cane, or even a blanket against the cold. He managed to get up and come here. Because Rumple's never needed the magic . . . he was just used to thinking he did. But he found out soon enough he could be a damned good person without it. With a little encouragement from other people."

"Why couldn't he when he was with me? Why did he have to lie to me? He gave me his dagger telling me it was trust...and he switched them!" Belle's eyes flashed with anger. "He switched them as he was proposing to me! And our marriage began with yet another lie. I HAD to send him away to protect the town."

"And did it ever occur to you that you had betrayed his trust before then . . . by leaving? By demanding he change when as a cursed man he could not do so? When you had his dagger after Zelena tortured him and MURDERED his child before his eyes, why did you ask him to forgive that bitch? Why did you have his dagger and then make conditions about returning it to him? You asked him something he could never give, should never have been asked to give! He was hurting and tormented, dammit! And why were the first words out of your damned mouth about the hobag who tortured him and NOT I'm sorry for your loss, Rumple? Would that be someone you'd want to trust with your soul? A woman whose first concern was the bitch who hurt you? Because it would never be mine!"

"I...I wanted him to better than resorting to murder..." Belle stammered, finding that she did not have a satisfactory defense against the other woman's accusations.

She HAD been horribly insensitive that day, never once mentioning Neal whom she'd formed a bond with in the brief time they were in the Enchanted Forest.

"What's better? Was Zelena going to have a trial? Be locked away for life for her misdeeds? Was anyone going to say to her, you're a sick twisted bitch for what you did? Or was she going to play "poor me" and "my mommy abandoned me" so that's why I have the right to kill people? I think so! And you bleeding heart heroes would have lapped it up and let her walk! Just like you let the other criminals walk-Hook and Regina who murdered and raped people! The pirate tortured Archie and got off without a slap on the wrist. The same man who tried to kill you four times and Rumple twice! How could any of you let that go? WHY would anyone even want to? Oh and Henry told me that during the years you were all cursed Regina held Graham's heart-and commanded him to sleep with her. So she raped him too! And killed an innocent man, Kurt Flynn, so she could steal his little boy away! How the hell are these people you want to associate with? I wouldn't give those bastards the room to move when I spit on them!"

"Rumple's killed people too, or has he forgotten that?" Belle demanded icily.

"Yes, killed them while he was cursed-killed to protect him and his . . . but not mass murdered people like Regina. What curse was she under? If he was uncursed-do you think he would ever have killed anyone? What excuse did Hook have for almost killing you?"

She glared at the older woman. "Did he tell you how he killed his first wife? He crushed her heart."

"Yes. I know. Did he tell you why? Because after what that bitch did, I'D have shoved her overboard for the sharks to eat! You have sympathy for a ho like that? Who discarded her own flesh and blood and a hardworking husband for some piece of ass? Unbelievable!"

"He didn't have to kill her...he could have just taken the bean and found Neal...and Hook...well...he apologized for what he did..."

"But they didn't give him the bean, now did they? They made a deal and then they lied and kept it for themselves. And Milah was a jackass harpy bitch for baiting the demon and thinking it was her husband she was dealing with! And she got what she deserved! They both did! Or is part of the story you don't acknowledge how Hook was still a class-A bully boy who attacked who he thought was a beggar on the road-pushing him down and laughing like some snotnosed bastard to his crew about the "crocodile"? HE started everything, not my husband!"

"But your husband continued it!"

Kat's eyes flashed. "Oh yes, an apology that blamed everything on circumstances?" she sneered. "That was good enough for you? Have you no pride, woman? To see the bastard was gloating and only saying he was sorry because he wanted to get Emma in bed with him? He didn't mean a word of what he said. His kind never do! They lie like rugs. He was even prompted by her, he didn't come to you himself and say he was sorry."

 _Yes! Tell her Mistress!_ the cats cheered.

"My husband continued nothing. Who came after you in Regina's tower? Wanting revenge for something he started? Hook! Or do you forget he knocked you out and would have killed you? Who came after you in Storybrooke again trying to kill you in the library? Hook did! After torturing Archie to make him tell where you were! And who ransacked Rumple's shop for the shawl? Hook did. When was Rumple doing anything to him? He was saving your ass!"

"He beat him with his cane! He took his heart and controlled him!"

"Yes, he beat him! Good! He beat the bullying bastard who humiliated him when he was a crippled spinner. Or is that one of the parts Hook left out too? Don't you know your own history? How Hook acted like he stole Milah and he and his crew were going to gang rape her and kill her? Rumple came to plead for her life, told Hook she had a child at home who needed her . . .and do you know what the bastard did then? He laughed in his face, his crew mocked and tripped him, and he challenged a crippled man to a duel. A DUEL! And then boasted how he'd taken a lot of men's wives to bed! How is that good? How is that honorable? It isn't! He was scum! Always had been and always would be! Why the FUCK do you defend a piece of shit like that? What'd he ever do for you, huh? Offered you some on the side?"

 _Think very carefully about what's she's saying,_ Belle, her conscience cautioned.

"He...they...never told me any of that."

 _Nor did you ask, did you, Belle? You never asked about what truly started the vendetta. You just assumed it was all Rumple's fault._

"I have known men like him my whole life. Men who charm and flatter and smile, men who tell you exactly what you want to hear-then go behind your back and screw your best friend. They don't change, because they don't want to change. Hook never changed. He pretended to-so he could get Emma. He saw a shiny new toy and he wanted it-and Emma refused him at first. But after Bae died, maybe she felt she couldn't refuse him or she was blinded like the rest of you. But now you know. You know what he did. The man you defended was a womanizing bastard who threatened to destroy a town full of innocents to kill a man he originally wronged. He nursed 300 years of vengeance—yet you chastise Rumple for that sin and not Hook? Are you going to take your blinders off, Belle, and see the truth? It's not pretty is it? It's horrifying. But look what you've done. You drove away the only person who could see the truth of what they were . . . and where'd that get you?"

"Alone..." she murmured.

"Yes. Alone as he was alone. Before I came and picked up the pieces of the man you broke and put him back together again. Because for me it didn't matter that he was cursed . . . or that he was imperfect. It only mattered to me that I loved him and he loved me . . . even if he didn't always know how to show it. He believed he was unworthy of love. But I showed him that he was worthy-as a lawyer, as a sorcerer, and as a man. But first-first I had to make him see himself as a person he could love. I had to teach him to love himself _for_ himself. And that has not been easy."

"How did you break his curse? What did I do wrong that you did right?"

 _She just told you, Belle. She loved him...unconditionally!_

"I did research . . . I knew what I was dealing with. I also knew . . . that no matter what . . .cursed or not . . .I would always love him . . . _him_ , and not what he could be. You love what _is_ , not what you wish. And when you do that, accepting everything about someone, good and bad, you love completely. I had no expectations of him. I didn't want a hero for a husband. I didn't need him to make me happy 24/7. I didn't want anything for him but just to be there for me and for _him_ to be happy, for once in his life. Because that's what a marriage is, that's what love is. It's acceptance and giving and sharing. It's having a partner and having a friend and having someone you want to beat over the head sometimes. It's good and bad, light and dark. But most of all, it's loyalty. For better, for worse. I didn't run away when he shut me out. I didn't leave. I stayed, I talked, and I waited. I helped him as much as I could. But I was there. I helped him see that he could love himself again. And once I did that-he could love me. And it was enough and more than enough to break his curse. I understood him-here." She put her hand over her heart. "I have always had a talent for fixing broken animals and people. Because once I too was lost and broken."

"I knew what I was dealing with too but he kept me at a distance...or always wanted magic to fix his issues." Belle wanted a normal man. "You can't break a curse if the person wants to be cursed. And it's so much easier to hate the Dark One than to love him..." she added sadly.

Kat cut her off. "Excuse me? Where did you come up with _that_ piece of stupidity? Do you even listen to what comes out of your mouth? What person wants to be cursed? Rumple was _afraid_ to be without his dark magic, he didn't _like_ being possessed and hated by everyone. He had such a horrible self-esteem because of what people-his father, Milah, Cora, even you-had told him. That he was worthless. That he was a coward who would only have an empty heart and a chipped cup. If YOU had been told your entire life that you were worthless and unworthy of being loved, abandoned, and then cursed to be evil and hated, what would you feel? How would you react? THINK, damn you! Use your head!"

"I never said he was worthless...just that he didn't need magic to have everything. He just had to believe...and he couldn't!"

She glared at Kat. "All I wanted was him but I wasn't enough for him. No. He had to have power too. He always chose power over love."

Kat gestured angrily. "How do you know that you're worth something? You're told it-by your parents, by your friends. But what if your parent told you otherwise? What if you had nothing to believe IN? It's easy for someone who has known love to say to believe. Because they have faith. He had nothing. Nothing!"

"He had ME!" Belle yelled.

"As for loving him, if it was so hard for you to love him why did you come back? Why didn't you stay away? Your coming back and leaving repeatedly hurt him, it reinforced the idea that he wasn't worthy of being loved! As for him loving power more-bullshit! He died for you! No one who loves power does THAT!"

"But when he was resurrected . . . he was right back to being the beast again."

"He was traumatized, damn you! Do you know what PTSD is? Do you know what it's like to be tortured and see your only child die before your eyes? To be shattered and broken and controlled like a dog? If you do, you sure as hell didn't show it! On top of that he already had self-esteem problems-problems which were made worse by what he endured for a year and a half. You telling him it didn't matter, that he should forgive and forget, only made things worse. Why should he do that? Why shouldn't he be angry? Be upset? I would be! I would want to rip out that bitch's guts with a red hot hook and hang her by her entrails on a tree. In fact she's lucky she's dead because otherwise I would be tempted to do just that. Furthermore, he was still cursed when you resurrected him. How could he change when he was still cursed? A cursed person cannot change-his curse must be broken. But unlike other curses, he must trust you in order for him to break it. And after what Zelena did to him-he trusted NO woman. Because all he has ever known is hurt and abandonment from them-even from you, who ran and left him multiple times. How many times did he ask you WHY you loved him? Or how you could love him? He asked for a reason! Because he honestly couldn't comprehend someone who would love him . . . even when he made someone angry. Or he did something wrong. He was like an abused child, who expected everyone to eventually kick him in the teeth. And by doing what you did-you proved him RIGHT. You proved that you were just like Milah, just like Cora, just like Pan. He was only worthy when he was a good boy. But when he was bad-you didn't want to know him."

"I did...when he didn't need magic so much. It was like his drug...he was addicted. He...he was acting like someone on drugs...always trying to find new ways to satisfy his craving for power...switching the daggers...lying to me...hiding things. How long do you think it will be before he does it to you?"

Kat burst out laughing. "Seriously? You believe that? Have you ever known him when he _wasn't_ cursed? When he wasn't a slave to the demon? No. You've _only_ known him as the Dark One. In Storybrooke and Fairytale Land. You have _never_ known him as he was before the curse. So . . . who craved power? Who was in charge? He was the _host_. The demon craved power. Not Rumple. When he was without his magic before he died to save you . . . why did he do so? Why did he choose to die rather than rule beside his father?"

"For Neal..."

"That wasn't the only reason why . . . he also died for _you_. For Henry. For everyone in that town. Everyone despite how they sneered and spit on him. Would a man only wanting power sacrifice himself for anyone? No. A man who seeks power never gives it up-for anything or anyone. But he did. Twice."

"Just not when I wanted him to..."

"He couldn't. He was _cursed_. Do you not understand what that means?" Kat said exasperatedly. "His curse was a curse of possession. The demon used him like he was a puppet. His every action, his every _thought_ , was controlled by the demon within him. And when that happens you can't free yourself from your own curse. Because the demon won't let you. Why would it? It has what it wants. A host it can control, a body to do what it wishes. Why would it give that up?"

"Is that why he couldn't let go of magic? Because he was dependent on it or the demon was?"

Kat folded her arms over her chest. "Let me see if I can put it in terms you can grasp. The demon wore Rumple like a suit of clothing. It crawled inside him, possessed him body, mind, and soul. Rumple walked, talked, and breathed, but it was like he was a shell and the demon was what filled it. There was a part-a very SMALL part-that was the human being Rumplestiltskin-but the rest . . . was all the darkness mimicking a human being. And the demon cares not for things a mortal does. It hates love, hates kindness, hates being with people. It craves three things-power, dark magic, and being alone. It loves not. Not even itself, for love is a foreign concept. It corrupts by its very presence, makes you loathe what you loved, even yourself. And Rumple . . . has never loved himself. Not ever. That made him easy prey. He was dependent upon the demon. And he thought magic was all he had to offer. But you never wanted the magic did you? Dark or light, the magic frightens you."

"Yes...because I've seen the destruction it can cause...the prices to be paid. Neal is gone..."

"Yes . . . but everything has a price. Nothing is ever free. A storm causes destruction too. Shall you then fear the thunder and rain? A wildfire destroys also, but at the same time it heats our homes. There are positive and negative aspects to everything. A doctor can heal-but can also mistakenly kill too. You have to take the good with the bad. Rumple's magic was dark then. That was not a choice he could control. But now . . . he does. And his magic-and the magic he's teaching me and Henry, is not that kind. By choice we are white magicians. And it's a choice he chose himself. As for Bae, he was tricked by Zelena . . .he died because of her . . .and that was one thing that he forgave you for . . .yet you couldn't forgive him for not trusting you with his dagger. If all he cared about was power-then why did he still marry you after you were partially responsible for his son dying?"

And that had been her own monster to defeat, the one she refused to admit had been there all along, the one that she had been.

It was her own creation, born from a desire to be more than just a girl who read books, one who wanted to be a hero.

She'd been living in her own storybook fantasy where everything had to be black and white but life as she'd learned and people had many shades to them, some she refused to see.

The words he'd written to her replayed in her mind. _I tried to show you what I couldn't tell you...that the man was still there but he couldn't fight the monster alone...that this curse would take more than a kiss to break...it required someone willing to walk through the darkness with me no matter how difficult it was...It was a journey I had to make alone so many times when I was here, Belle. Belief is not always enough. You must be willing to act too. You once told Zelena she'd hurt me enough...yet you allowed her to continue her torment by denying me justice._

"So many lost chances ..." Belle sobbed.

"Now you see what you did to him. All of you . . . all your fine friends and so-called do-gooders in that town. Was it worth it? To feel like you were always right, and he was always wrong? Where are these people now, lady? Have they all abandoned you, as such people do after your use to them is ended? All those you put before your husband? If the answer is yes-then they were no true friends at all. Hypocrites never are, you know. They wait for you to fall, so they can tell you how you should have done this or that, and sneer at you when you falter and spit at you when you're down. Because they have forgotten how to behave and see only the faults in someone else-the very faults which they hate in themselves. They saw themselves in Rumple . . . and they were afraid. They didn't want to see-so they drove him away. And you let them. You had a chance to prove you were loyal to him . . . yet you chose them. And that, you see is the difference between us. You will always try and do what's expected . . . what you think you should do. What you think people believe is right and good. Me, on the other hand, I will do what's best . . . for him and to hell with everyone else and what they think or want. I would die for him. Without a second thought. Would you?"

Belle looked away, which was itself an answer.

"I could...blame it on my upbringing...but I would be fooling myself."

Now she was trying to survive in a world she didn't know.

"The bad choices you make . . . are always your own doing. Taking responsibility for them . . . means you're ready to be an adult. Rumple told me many times, as did Archie, how many of those good people had a habit of blaming everything-on him and not themselves. Everything was always the fault of someone-or something else. Makes it very easy to escape feeling guilty and knowing that you truly are not like what everyone thinks you are. And if you never learn to take responsibility for what you've done-you'll never really learn to grow up."

"I know now that is what I have to do. What he was trying to get me to do...see the world as he saw it..."

He'd seen the harsh reality of it all and tried to shelter her from it.

Just as her father once did.

"He was protecting me...only I didn't see it that way, didn't understand that sometimes he had to lie because he felt it was the only way to keep me safe."

Kat looked thoughtful. " He will always protect those he loves first. Like me. Even if they hate him for it. I remember something else Rumple said to me. He said that without his magic he was nothing but a coward, helpless and at everyone's mercy. I asked him who told him that. He said everyone did. And I told him that perhaps they were the cowards and yet they were too afraid to admit it, so they said it of him to make themselves feel better. That he really wasn't what they said-he just thought he was. And then I showed him all the things he had done since coming here-things that most people wouldn't do or refused to do-fighting for those who had no voice, taking cases pro bono-without fees-and winning cases against larger companies-that were not at all cowardly. I told him that the real cowards were those who had mocked him and humiliated him. Eventually he saw the truth. Bravery comes in all shapes and sizes-and sometimes the bravest thing you can do-is to face a new day and say, I will try. Rumple always tried. And that's what counts."

"At first I came here thinking I could win him back but I lost him long before I banished him. I lost him the day he died."

On that day he'd paid the ultimate price to protect her, to protect all of them, even those who wronged him.

That day he'd shown her what a true hero was...and she'd forgotten. They all had.

Kat's mouth firmed. "You thought you could win him back? Like he was some prize in a contest?" Her eyes flashed. "Well, honey, you thought wrong! Rum's not a prize. He made his choice and _you_ made yours the day you picked up his dagger and chose Zelena over him. No before that—when you didn't tear that arrogant bitch Regina a new one for controlling him after what he'd been through. Because none of you had that right— _none_ of you! Doing that made you a hypocrite, not a hero. Because the most important thing in any person's life is free choice." She shut her eyes, struggling to control her temper and her magic. After a moment, she regained her equilibrium. "Yes, he died for all of you-even those who didn't deserve it. And what was his reward? Was he remembered for his sacrifice? No he was remembered for the cursed Dark One and the village coward. His sacrifice was forgotten. What a disgrace!" Her eyes flashed with temper. "My husband-a coward? Not on your life! I'd like to see any of those brave heroes take on a soul crushing curse as he did and live with it for over 300 years and see what they're like! I'd wager after ten they'd be no more than dust and ashes-a shell for the demon and lost forever to darkness. Rumple fought every day of his life for his sanity after taking that curse-and the miracle was that he's still sane, still able to love, and be a decent man. And now that it's gone-he'll never have to fight that way again. Because I'll be with him. And I will tear apart anyone who tries to hurt him."

Seeing the look in the other's eyes made Belle tremble. "That curse now has two people...Emma and Regina...once Emma picked up the dagger we found near the town line it got out and attacked her and Regina."

"She must have done something to release it. Even unwittingly. And once released-it would have gone straight for the two people most susceptible to its dark urgings. For the darkness cannot thrive in an unwilling soul. Rumple told me that in order for it to bond to you-you have to accept it, even a small part of it, within you. If you reject it utterly-it cannot dwell in you."

She continued, eating her scone. "Rumple said that when he killed Zoso to save Bae, he accepted the darkness as his price-even though he didn't understand what he was really doing. But it didn't matter. And so he became the Dark One."

"The only reason why both of them would take that much dark power is to get Henry back but when they tried to cross the town line they were thrown back."

"Because the town was warded against them. Rumple did that. He knew eventually they'd break their word to Henry and come after him. So he made sure he was safe by placing a boundary ward about it they couldn't cross."

"We did free Merlin's apprentice and he told us we had to get Neal out of Storybrooke so that he could train in white magic to fight them. He whispered something in Snow's ear before he died and then they left."

"And you don't know where they went with the baby?" Kat queried softly.

"I do now. . . here."

She nodded. "Yes. He is here . . . being raised as our foster son. Because the greatest magic comes from the love of a family . . . and no one save the former Dark One knows how to defeat the new ones that have risen. Rumple will give Bae's namesake everything he would have given Bae . . . and hopefully it will be enough to let him defeat them."

"There aren't many people left in Storybrooke. Seeing Emma kill Hook terrified them. Only I'm not so sure it was her. Afterwards she told her parents it wasn't her."

"It may not have been. Then again, I'm not surprised. Not even hell will want that bastard."

"Regina...went mad after Robin rejected her...that's why we think the darkness claimed her so easily. Someone told him about what she did to Archie, didn't they? Archie's wife? The woman we thought was Zelena?"

"Yes. Someone did. But not Marian. She didn't know either. But Archie knew . . . and so did Archie's wife. She found proof when she infiltrated Storybrooke, found pictures in Regina's mansion . . .and she took them and showed Robin what sort of a woman he was dealing with-and entrusting his child to. Marian might have flaws but at least she's not a rapist or a mass murderer." Kat spread her hands. "See there are some things you just can't live down. Or forget. That's two of them. Regina thought she could pretend her past misdeeds never existed just by saying "I've changed." But that's not how it works. Atonement must follow redemption or else your redemption fails. And you can only atone when you've acknowledged and regretted your mistakes. Not just said done is done and that's it. That's why I think she went dark. Because she was never truly redeemed."

"Has Rumple told you . . . everything Zelena did to him?"

Kat grimaced at the new question. "Yes. He told me . . . a lot. More than I wished to know, to be honest. But then, he needed to. He told me how she tormented and beat him, treated him like a dog in the name of her petty cruelty and jealousy, how she almost raped him by forcing him to . . . kiss her and act like he wanted her. How she made him feel like a whore. Then she murdered his son . . . and tried to get him to kill you. That damned bitch! She's lucky she's dead or else I'd have to kill her all over again . . . several times!"

"That night at the town line...when Rumple was there on his knees...at his most vulnerable...that's when I should have taken him back. He showed remorse, only I mistook it for regret that he'd been caught in a lie, a lie he had to tell to protect himself...from me."

 _Because you used that dagger as Zelena did...to control him...many times...for some of the people who wronged him._

"Yes. And he said that he wanted to trust you . . . but when you sided with the woman who had abused him . . . he couldn't do it. He tried though. He switched the daggers back on the night of your wedding . . . but then he became afraid again . . .of losing his will to you . . .if he didn't do what you wanted, and he found the hat and thought it held the key to ridding himself of his curse . . .since it became obvious you weren't going to help him free himself."

"And now I know why he wanted to ahhhh...wait to consummate our marriage. Because of what happened..."

"Yes. That's why. Because he was ashamed . . . and he figured you wouldn't want him after what had happened. He wanted to be perfect for you . . . and since he wasn't . . .he didn't think you could love him-a damaged man. So he refused to consummate the marriage."

"But I would have...had he told me!" Belle protested.

"He didn't feel he could trust you though . . . not after making him promise to leave Zelena be," Kat pointed out implacably. "He assumed that because he couldn't do that . . . because he couldn't be the better man you thought he should be . . . that meant he was unworthy of your love. You basically cut him apart with that request . . . and you didn't even know how badly you'd hurt him. All he could think of was that he'd failed-again-and he didn't want to disappoint another person he loved. You have to understand-Rumple has always been told he's not good enough-and he has always believed that deep down nothing he does will ever be good enough. By not being able to do what you wanted-you basically proved him right. And it's why he couldn't bear for you to know about Zelena."

"And by eliciting that promise from him...I left him no other choice but to do what he had to do all those years, hide his pain behind a mask, to protect himself by deceiving me."

"Yes. Because he felt that no one could be trusted . . . that anyone he turned to would eventually betray him because no one could resist controlling him, for his own good. But still control is control, no matter how prettily you phrase it or disguise it to make it look better."

"Now all I want is for him to be happy...and he seems to be with you. You understand him better than I ever did...maybe it's because you're older and have seen more of the world than I have...maybe not. But...I still care about him and I always will and hope someday I can be part of his life again...just not like I was before."

"That will be up to him to decide. Because I want him to be happy also. And if he chooses to accept you back into his life, then I will also. But if you ever hurt him like that again . . .you'll see that temper we Italians are so famous for . . . and you won't like it at all. Trust me."

"I don't think I would," Belle said softly. "Now that we're all out in the world so to speak, we're learning that the people in it aren't so different from us but it's still taking time to get used to."

"You've finally come down out of the ivory tower," Kat chuckled. "And now you've seen how the other half lives. And how no one ever hands you anything. You have to work for what you want . . .and even then you might not get it."

"I've had to go back to school and I'm working part time in a book store...shelving your books..." Belle laughed.

"Well, that's one time my hard work paid off . . . that and working for Rumple." She admitted. "How are they selling? Have you read any yet?"

"I've read all of them...and now I see how much your main character is patterned after Rumple. In fact when I read it, I pictured him in my mind. We can't keep them on the shelves. I've had to reorder them four times!"

"I told him that he would make a wonderful protagonist . . . and he was the one who encouraged me to write more and to show them to a different agent. I was afraid I wasn't good enough, you see . . . but he was the one who told me that I was good enough for him . . .and that meant I was good enough for everybody else too. And he was right."

"So you helped each other," Belle murmured.

"Yes. He helped me to believe in myself and I helped him to do the same. He was the first person besides my family I ever let read my work . . . and I was sure he would hate it. I asked him to pretend he was an editor-and to be totally honest with me when he read it. He took it inside his study and remained there for over three hours . . . . and then he came out and I said, how was it? And he said-I couldn't put it down and I can't remember when I last did that with anything that wasn't a legal brief. I almost passed out. That was when I knew I could do it. And I did-with a lot of support from him along the way."

"When I lost my memory...he called me when he was dying from dreamshade poisoning to try to remind me of who I was...and for a moment I thought i did...until Regina gave me my cursed memories back. But then...when our town was about to be destroyed, and he thought he'd lost his son the first time...he didn't want me to die as the horrible Lacey. He wanted to see ME...one last time. Somewhere down the road that woman was lost...and she lost the one person who made her remember who she was...with her own foolishness."

Now she didn't know who she was anymore. "Now I understand that maybe the time I spent with him was all I was ever meant to have."

There came the sound of the front door opening and closing. Then came a familiar voice calling, "Kat, dearie, I'm home!"

Belle froze. "Maybe I should go..." She glanced toward the kitchen door.

The cats jumped up and raced into the foyer to greet their human.

Kat followed, like a sailor led by a siren call, her face alight with joy. "Rum! How was your day at work?"

"You mean aside from Barry Chambers being a complete arse? Everything went well but I may need ye to give that new assistant of mine a swat so he learns some common sense."

"Again? It figures!" she snorted. "I'll be happy to do so." She kissed him.

He kissed her back gently as the cats circled around him, rubbing their backs against his legs.

"MEOW!"

He giggled. "Do ye mind waiting till I greet my wife properly?"

"They always mind. They're cats." His wife laughed. "Once we worshiped them as gods and they'll never let us forget it."

He sniffed the air. "Are those my scones I smell?"

"You do, sweetheart," she replied.

He headed for the kitchen and stopped in his tracks when he saw Belle standing at the kitchen door about to leave. "W...What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"She came to see you, Rum. Only you weren't here." Kat replied.

"Why? Why now, Belle? We no longer have an agreement anymore. You're free to live your own life."

Kat backed away, giving him space. Then she said softly, "Rum, why don't you go into the kitchen? Before you end up waking up Neal?"

They heard furious screams from the bassinet.

Rumple sighed. "It's a bit late for that... I'll get him."

"You'd better. He heard you and it's you he wants right now," Kat murmured. Neal usually preferred Rumple when he first woke up, it was an odd little quirk he had.

Rumple picked up his foster son and cradled him against his chest. "Now, now lad...no need to be shouting down the walls." He sat down in one of the chairs and started singing an old lullaby he once sang to Bae. The infant gazed up at him with a small smile on his lips, his hand curling around Robert's finger.

"See? What'd I tell you?" Kat smiled at them.

Belle watched them, tears streaming down her cheeks as she once again saw what she used to have...and what she'd lost. Once upon a time she'd held Neal in her arms and dreamed of the day when she would hold Rumple's child...a dream that would never come true.

Kat approached them and reached out a finger to tickle Neal's chin. "Hello, precious. Did you have a good nap?"

Neal cooed at her and blew bubbles.

"Rumple...I...I came here to tell you that I...I was wrong," Belle said hoarsely.

She took the letter he'd written to her out of her purse. "But I...don't want to cause any trouble...I...I'll be going."

"One moment." He said. He handed Neal to his wife. "Here, lad, go to Kat Kat, okay?"

Kat took her foster son and cuddled him. "C'mere, sweetie. Let's change you while Rum talks," she crooned, kissing his head.

Rumple stood up. "Come with me. Whatever you have to say, you can say it in my study."

She followed him in silence, feeling like they were back in the Dark Castle her first day there, unsure of how to act around the man who was a stranger to her again.

"You...look well...happy..." she began.

He led her into a well-appointed room with comfortable wood grain paneling and a large roll top desk, which was an antique from the 1800's. Behind it were two bookshelves with law books of all kinds, a laptop was on a pull out shelf on the desk, and his chair which was specially designed for him, in green leather, was behind it. He went to sit down, flicking on the overhead lights. "I am. You sound surprised. What brings you here? Come to beg a favor from me from someone? Not interested, dearie." His voice was flat and sharp.

"No...I just wanted to tell you that I was wrong...about you about everything. What's happening in the town...and talking with your wife...has opened my eyes."

"Now there's a switch. You admitting that." he laughed harshly. "Usually that was my line. I'm sorry, it's all my fault . . ." His eyes narrowed. "What's happened in town? Must be something monumental to bring you here, away from your paramour and your library?"

"The Dark Ones. And my library is gone...it vanished along with your house and the shop."

She suspected he already knew that but she wasn't going to call him out on it.

"I thought they might have rebuilt one," he replied.

"Hook...was Emma the one who killed him or...the demon...?"

"The demon would have loved doing that . . . it would have been meat and drink to deprive her of the one she loved. It doesn't like any kind of ties to anyone."

"And we were concerned...after Robin rejected Regina that she might come after Henry..."

"That's not possible."

"We know that now...and I know what she and Zelena did to you...and Archie. Oh Rumple...had I known I never would have made you promise not to go after her!"

His mouth flattened. "Really, dearie? You were quick enough to ask me that when you knew she had killed Bae! And hurt me. Does it really matter how?"

"You always did try to warn me my need to be a hero would be my downfall...and you were right."

"It's nice to know I'm finally right about something," he replied sarcastically.

"You have every right to be angry, to ask me to leave, but I can't...not until we talk. I know we can't go back to the way we were. That's not possible now."

"No, it isn't. Even if I had never met Kat, it wouldn't be. Where's that man-Scarlet? Henry told me about him."

"He went back to Wonderland to Anna. I didn't love him, Rumple. I rushed into that relationship thinking I could just forget you that easily but I couldn't." She smiled wanly. "You're a tough act to follow."

He raised an eyebrow. "So I suppose I'm no longer a beast now that my curse is gone?"

She started to cry again. "All that time you believed yourself unworthy of love...and I didn't help matters trying to mold you into a hero from one of my books when you did the two things a hero could: you protected me...and you died for me...for all of us...even those who were your enemies. I've seen the beast, Rumple, and it terrified me. For a moment I thought that demon would take me...It came at me..."

He saw the fear in her eyes and it tore at him. His anger evaporated. "Did it hurt you?"

"I felt like my body was being split in two...my heart felt like a rock in my chest...and I saw things...all the things I'd said...everything I did...And then Anna came and took me to Wonderland and put me in a cage with a mirror…a mirror into my own soul….and…it was…it was…"

"It's terrifying, isn't it?" he murmured quietly. "To see the darkness coiling within you, watching, and waiting? It calls it forth, for that is its nature . . . like calls to like."

"Emma grabbed the dagger thinking it would summon it and she could trap it but it wrapped itself around her...and then Regina…part of it went to her. She welcomed it."

"Yes, because the darkness within her was never truly conquered. She fooled herself into thinking it had gone, but she was wrong. You cannot rid yourself of the darkness by pretending you have changed. You must truly make an effort . . . not for someone else . . .but for yourself. You must acknowledge what you have done and accept responsibility for it and only then, when you regret truly, can you even begin to be redeemed. Regina thought she could trick her way into redemption. But she learned too late that you can't. There is no easy path. Only one wet with blood, sweat, and tears."

"Once the darkness had them, Emma killed Hook...and they tried to cross the town line to come for you, Henry, and Archie but they were thrown back."

"Yes. Because I had warded it against them. I knew they would seek to break their deal with him. As they always do. Their word is good-so long as it doesn't conflict with their own desires. But as soon as they want something more than what they agreed to-they would break it and come for him."

"People were terrified and began to leave. The fairies are still there but most of us are in other places."

"That doesn't surprise me. Who would want to stay in a town where you might get barbecued for looking at the Queen wrong? Or her Dark Swan? You all thought _I_ was bad. Now you see what true Dark Ones are like. Ones who have surrendered their humanity to the darkness. And you? Where are you living?"

"Ruby and I are sharing an apartment in the Bronx. I took a job at a bookstore and am going to school."

"Ah. You need an education to get anywhere here."

"Granny and Geppetto wanted us to move in with them but it would've been crowded."

"Yes, the apartments in the city are not very large. It's one reason why I'm glad we have this brownstone. When the wee lad starts crawling and walking . . . he'll need the room to move around in."

"Are you going to have other children?"

He nodded. "When Kat is ready, we will. We're both young enough to still have one."

"Archie seems happy too."

"He is. He's happier than I've ever seen him now that he's married to Jeanna and has Henry also. All of us have made new lives for ourselves here. Better lives. We have grown beyond our storybook selves, Belle, and finally become our own persons."

"I'm still finding my way."

"But you will find it," he said quietly. "You simply have to keep an open mind and . . . remember that you are more than what you were always expected to be. Here, you can be-anything."

"I'm more at home in a library or the bookstore. Maybe I'll open a shop of my own someday and if I have chance to find true love again...I'm not letting it go."

Their love wasn't meant to be but the lessons she learned from it would be ones that she would never forget.

"Learn to recognize it when you see it-even if it comes disguised in a wrecked package," he said wryly.

"I said to Kat...maybe I could be in your life again...as a friend? That is...when you're ready for that..."

He was silent for a long while. "That would be . . . something new. I don't have very many friends . . . I prefer a small circle." He steepled his hands. "Let me think about it. And I'll let you know. I don't want anything awkward to occur with Kat."

"Your wife is a wise woman, Rumple. She's already given me the warning that if I hurt you I'd face her wrath."

He chuckled. "And that is not something you want to provoke, believe me. She may seem sweet and quiet, but when her temper is unleashed, best you duck and run for cover, else she's libel to let you have it with her tongue or a wooden spoon. Or both depending on how riled you've gotten her."

Belle laughed. "She is your match, Rumple. Ruby says she's met Jeanna and she's Archie complete opposite!"

"Sometimes opposites attract, dearie. Other times . . . you seek someone who has been down the same road and knows where you're coming from."

"Hopefully now I'll be wiser next time I meet someone. Ruby keeps trying to set me up...but I'm not ready. And she did warn me not to come here, to let you live your own life."

"You'll know when you are."

"I hope so. I know it's probably too late, Rumple, but I am sorry for how much I hurt you. And I'm sorry about Bae. He was a good friend in the short time I knew him..."

"He was the best thing to ever come from me or Milah," Rumple said feelingly. He thought about telling her about how Bae could occasionally return to life now, to be with the family he had lost untimely, but hesitated. Such a thing was reserved for family only . . . and Belle was no longer that. "As for me . . . I can forgive you . . .and better late than never."

"I'd better get going now...I have a class in an hour...Mythology if you can believe it."

"Well, you should ace that one, now shouldn't you?" he laughed. Then he rose and took her hand, bowing over it as he used to do long ago, back in their old realm. "Until we meet again, Belle."

She curtseyed. "Until we meet again... Robert."

They left the study together, and met Kat coming out of the nursery with Neal in her arms. A glance at her husband told his wife all she needed to know, as Neal cooed and held his arms out for his other favorite person.

Rumple reached for him and took the baby in his arms, saying in a soft squeaky little voice, "How's my wee bairn? Are ye bein' good? Hmm?" He blew raspberries on the baby's tummy, making Neal squeal with delight.

Regina believed that there was an author out there writing their stories and that he would be the one to change her story but it was all an illusion. Their fates were what they made them and in this new world, as Rumple had said, they could be anyone they wanted to be.

Here he was an attorney, a husband, a father, and a friend, the demon that once lived within him vanquished forever through the love of the woman who stood by his side and together they would prepare young Neal to battle it again.

"Ru...Rumm?"

"Kat? He said . . .Rum! He said my name!" Rumple gasped in joy. His whole face glowed with an inner light.

Neal grabbed a handful of his hair and tugged gently. "K...Kat...Kat?"

"Yes, I'm here, Neal! Rum, he's talking! Our baby's talking!" Kat cried, tears in her eyes. "Oh, darn! Where's my phone!"

"Rrrrrummm.." Neal said again trilling his r's.

"Rrright ye are, laddie!" Rumple was laughing.

Belle giggled. "Well, we all know where he got THAT from!"

"Och, aye, we do, my brrilliant lad!" the attorney kissed his foster son on the cheek.

"Mu...mum...Da...?"

The baby looked around as if he were searching for his parents.

Suddenly Kat's phone appeared in her hand though she hadn't summoned it and neither had Rumple.

"Dearie, Mama and Daddy aren't here right now. But . . . we can talk to them on the . . .video phone . . ." Rumple trailed off, his eyes wide.

Neal reached for the phone, beaming. "Mum...? Da...? Rrrrum...Kat Kat!"

"Rum, we'd better call them. Before he tries something else!" Kat said.

Rumple dialed the line for the Skype phone chat service.

Snow and David had set up a schedule for them to talk with Rumple and Kat but when the phone rang outside of that time the parents were understandably concerned. David's face came on the screen.

"Rumple? Is everything all right?"

"DAAA!" Neal cried joyfully.

"Yer laddie wanted to say something t' ye, David," Rumple told him, beaming.

"Mum...mum?"

"Snow! He's talking! Neal's talking!" David sobbed.

Snow turned the camera towards her. "Hello sweetheart," she wept.

"MUUUUMMMM!"

"He says all our names, Snow," Kat said excitedly. "He woke up from his nap and started talking, just like that."

"Can we come over and see him?"

"Yes, of course," she said. "Would you like to come for dinner?"

"He also cast his first spell," Rumple added. "He summoned Kat's phone."

"We've love to stay for dinner! He used magic? Already? How is that possible?"

"Because he's a true love baby, and his magic responded to his emotional state," Rumple replied calmly.

"When he's older...do you think he can help Emma...if it's not too late?"

"That will all depend, dearie. Right now I can't make any predictions," the older sorcerer said quietly. "For now, why don't you come over for dinner and play with your son? Kat's making-what are you making for dinner, sweetheart?"

"Umm . . . I don't know. It'll be a surprise," Kat replied coming up with something fast.

"We'll be over in a bit. Thank you Rumple, thank you."

"You're welcome, dearie. Neal, say bye to Daddy and Mama, okay?"

"B..ye...da...mum."

"Goodbye, Neal. Maybe I'll come see you soon." Belle said to the baby.

"Bye...bye...B...elle..." the baby whispered and gave a little wave. Belle waved back and stepped outside, feeling as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. For weeks she'd been terrified that their story would end at the town line, both broken in ways that could never be healed but they'd both managed to move on. Rumple found his happy ending at last, she was still looking. When she was far enough away from the house she allowed her tears to fall again. Another woman was living the life that could have been hers had she fully understood the man she once called her true love. She walked on, into an unknown future but she would face it older, and wiser.

Snow and David were in tears when they arrived at the Gold house. The moment Neal saw them he held out his arms to them. "Daaaa...Mummm..."

Snow took her son into her arms and hugged him. "Mum's here, sweetie. I missed you so much!"

David stroked his son's head affectionately. "Thank you for calling us, Rumple...Kat...we wouldn't have wanted to miss his first words for the world."

"Do you think I don't know that?" Robert said softly. "I remember when Bae spoke his first word. It was Papa. He talked early and walked too at eight months. Drove Milah nuts. She kept tying him to things . . . and he would scream his lungs out until he learned how to untie himself. I told her you couldn't tie up a bairn like he was a dog."

"I'll never do that... never. And I hope we don't miss his first steps..."

"We'll be sure to call you when he looks like he's starting to walk," Kat assured them. "Right, little man?"

Neal smiled and blew bubbles at her. "Kat Kat...Rum...Daaaa...Mummm!"

He tried to point to each person while he said their names.

"Very good, laddie!" Rumple praised. Merlin came and twined himself about the chair leg.

"Mer...Mer..."

Neal glanced down at the cat then at his mother. "Mum...Mer?"

"That's my bright boy! Yes, that's Merlin," Snow beamed. "And who's that?" she pointed to Kat's familiar who was lying on a chair.

"Vi...Viv?"

"Yes, Neal. That's Viv," Kat said.

 _He's learning quickly Mistress_ , Vivi sent.

 _He's going to be strong in the light_ , Merlin added.

"He'll need to be." Rumple said. He reached out and tousled the little boy's hair. "Right, dearie?"

"Rum...li...light?"

Neal's parents stared at him in surprise.

"It's almost like he understands what he is," David whispered.

"He may . . . a mage is intuitive," Rumple said. He held out a hand and lit up his index finger. "Neal, what's this?"

Kat giggled and whispered, "ET phone home."

Her husband rolled his eyes at her.

"L...Light...Rum light..." The baby put his hand in front of his face, puzzled. "Light?"

"Aye, 'tis light." He made it wink out.

The baby frowned. "Light! Rum LIGHT!"

David chuckled. "I think he wants you to do that again."

The archmage grinned. "Like that, do you?" He made his finger light up again. Then he made it change colors, and named them as he did so.

"Booo...Boo!" Neal cried excitedly when the color turned blue.

"Oh! David, he knows blue!" Snow cried excitedly.

"Tis his favorite color," Rumple chuckled.

"Boo...ird...Ird!"

Snow gasped. "He said blue bird! Say bird! Neal, say bird! Say bird!"

"Ird...Ird!"

David chuckled. "No, say buh-ird!" he enunciated the B sound.

"Say bird! Say bird!" Kat urged.

"Buuuu...ird! Buuuu ird!"

Everyone clapped.

"Boo...buuuu iiiirdd!"

"Bluebird," his mentor agreed. "Now watch this. And what does the bluebird say, Neal?"

He usually imitated animal sounds when he played with the baby.

Neal imitated the blue bird's call perfectly.

"Attaboy! And what does the cat say?" Rumple asked next.

"Yeow! Yeow!"

"Good job. And how about the dog?"

"Arf arf?"

"Excellent. And the wolf?"

"Owwwwoooooo!"

"Smart boy!" Rumple beamed. "And what about Mr. Raven?" This was the best one.

"C...Cawwwww?"

"Good!" he looked at the proud parents. "I think we have a prodigy on our hands."

Neal held his hands in front of his face and opened them with a grin. "Boooo!" he sang cheerfully.

"Snow, he wants to play peek-a-boo!" David cried. Then he copied his son, saying, "I see you!"

Neal giggled and covered his face again.

Snow laughed and did so too, then she opened her hands and cried, "Peek-a-boo!"

"Eeee ooooo!" Neal laughed.

"He can do that all night," Rumple giggled. "Right, Kat?"

His wife nodded. "One night he made Rumple play that so much I thought his hands were going to fall off."

"Does he take time to eat?" David asked.

"Oh, he does. When he's hungry," his foster father said. "He loves Kat's meatballs and spaghetti best. But he's not picky. He eats almost everything."

"Getti? Balls?"

"Yes, lad. On Sundays we have spaghetti and meatballs," Robert agreed.

"Getti! Kat Kat getti!"

His foster mother chuckled. "I think I've just been told what to make for dinner."

"Kat Kat getti Kat Kat getti," Neal insisted.

"He has a one-track mind sometimes," the attorney informed them.

Kat rose to put on a pot of water and take some frozen meatballs and sauce in a container from the freezer. She defrosted them with a soft word and placed them in a saucepan and got the spaghetti from the cabinet.

"Dad...Kat Kat getti...ummm!"

"He's your son all right, Charming!" Snow smiled.

"You saying I eat a lot."

"No, but you do love your pasta," his wife returned.

"Guilty as charged, hon."

"Kat makes the best pasta and meatballs. And marinara sauce." Rumple stated quietly. He spoke nothing but the simple truth.

"Better make a lot because I will eat a lot!" David joked.

"Kat makes enough food to feed all the neighbors," Robert smirked.

"Good."

"No one leaves my table hungry," the younger mage said, stirring the sauce with her wooden spoon.

"Kat's Second Law of Hospitality," Robert quoted.

"What's the first one?" asked Snow.

"Mangia!" the lawyer answered. "It means let's eat in Italian. She feeds everyone who comes in the door. She even fed Belle today when she showed up."

"She did?"

Kat nodded. "When the doorbell rang I thought it was someone selling something. But it was Bobby's ex-looking for him."

"Ummm and how did THAT conversation go?" Snow inquired curiously.

Kat snorted. "Not well at first. I was hospitable . . . until she started badmouthing Bobby . . .then I handed her ass to her."

"That sounds scary." David exclaimed.

"Well, she asked for it, coming here and expecting me to act like she was right to kick him out . . . and insinuating that I was clueless and didn't know the real Robert Gold. She thought she could show up here and blame him for everything that had happened to her and all her so-called friends in that town and I would sit there and be shocked by her revelations. Only she forgot that I already knew all about the past . . . and I wasn't about to let anyone blame my husband for someone else's bad choices."

Robert tittered. "Oh, but I would have loved to be a fly on the wall during THAT conversation, dearie."

"Well we were guilty of that too, Rumple, but we learned," David said.

"Lucky you, or else you might have ended up getting beaten with the wooden spoon. Or stabbed with the spaghetti fork. Or hexed six ways to Sunday," the former imp snickered. "Hell hath no fury like an Italian women in a temper," he added.

"Remind me never to make you mad, Kat!" Snow giggled.

"Maaaddd Kat Kat!"

"Not now, sweetie," Kat assured him. "I'm lucky I didn't wake him up, but I managed to keep my voice down. Usually the madder I get the more my voice is raised."

"So do I," agreed Snow.

"And some of the things she said-made me very angry. Especially when she said that you can't break a curse when someone wants to be cursed. I almost bit her head off."

"Even we know that's not true!" Snow exclaimed.

Kat shook her head. "I don't know where she ever got that idea. And I set her straight. About that and a lot of other things."

"Good. She needed it."

"I was quite . . . emphatic and I used a lot of refutation, Bobby. Along with facts. Just like an attorney during a trial."

"And nobody argues like an attorney," Snow winked.

"Yeah...if I had to go to court...I'd end up in jail or losing my shirt," David confessed.

"You just need to remember a few things, dearie," Robert instructed. "Never argue unless you have all the facts . . . and a way to prove them. Because the more evidence you have, the more your opposing counsel can't refute it."

"So she's not going to...interfere in your marriage?"

"No. She knows better," he told David. "She's no longer with Will, he went back to his wife after the Dark Queens took over. She's here because she didn't want to stay there anymore under the rules of tyrannical despots. And she realizes what she did was wrong. She wished to make amends . . . so we talked, I forgave her and now she wants to be friends . . . if Kat agrees."

"I could never leave you," Snow said to her husband. "It would be like losing what's left of my heart..."

"If that's what you want, Bobby. I'll be civil to her. Because she knows how far she can go with me."

The master magician nodded, relieved. He was tired of the state of tension and disapproval he had lived with in Storybrooke. He wanted peace and to be done with the angst and anger.

"B...Be...lle..." Neal spoke up.

"What about Belle, dearie?"

The baby looked around "B..elle?"

"She went home." His mentor explained.

Neal frowned "B...Belle...Kat getti?"

"You want Belle to eat dinner here?" He clarified.

"Belle GETTI!"

"Kat? What do you think?" Robert raised an eyebrow.

"I have no objection, Bobby. If you don't think it awkward?" She could never refuse her foster son when he wore that Look on his face.

"Belle!" Neal fidgeted in his chair.

"How about you two?" He asked his other guests.

"We're fine with it. She did babysit him for us on occasion and he took to her." Snow spoke up.

"All right. I'll call her."

It had been an emotional day for all of them but the wounds of the past were slowly beginning to heal and new, unexpected friendships were being formed, a twist on tales as old as time.


	14. Lights Amidst Oceans of Darkness

**~ Lights Amidst Oceans of Darkness ~**

Ruby waited anxiously for her roommate to return, eager to find out how her visit with the Golds went. She knew Kat would have plenty to say and she was hoping that Belle would listen with an open mind. As she said earlier, she knew both sides of the story now and her friend needed to accept responsibility for her own actions. Moments later she heard Belle's key in the lock and the young librarian walked into the apartment smiling.

"Ummm….how did it go?"

"Better than I expected. I should've listened to you, Ruby."

"Kat didn't nail your ass to a wall?"

"Well…ummm….not literally….but she did open my eyes about a few things, so did Bobby." Belle sighed. "It was a talk we should've had a long time ago but I never gave him a chance." The two women went into the living room and Belle recounted the conversations she had with the Golds. "He forgave me, Ruby. He didn't have to but he did."

Ruby nodded. "So what happens now?"

"I asked him and Kat if we could be friends. Ruby, he's been such an important part of my life…I can't forget that. Even if being a friend is all I'll ever be to him, I can be happy with that but it's also taught me to be a little wiser the next time I'm with someone."

"I'm glad, Belle. I really am."

Belle took her Mythology book out of her bag. "We better study if we're going to pass that test."

"You'll pass it….I'm doomed." Ruby laughed.

The two girls were still studying for exams when they heard the phone ring. Ruby leaned across the sofa and picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

"Ruby, it's Bobby. Is Belle there?"

"Sure. BELLE! Bobby's on the phone!" Ruby yelled. Belle was listening to music on her phone while she studied.

Belle pulled the earbuds out of her ears and glowered at her friend. "And I think you just broke his eardrum by yelling like that. I didn't have it turned up that loud."

"Sorry. here." She handed Belle the phone.

"Bobby? Umm...hello."

"Pardon me, my ear is ringing," joked her ex.

"I'm sorry about that. Is something wrong?"

"No, just . . . Do you like spaghetti and meatballs?"

"You know I do! You used to cook them for me, remember?"

"Right, must be going senile. Anyway, how would you like to come over for dinner? Kat's making some and. . . Snow and Charming are here."

"Oh, wonderful! I'm looking forward to seeing them."

"Figures. You get a homecooked meal and I get stuck with old takeout!" Ruby teased.

"Would Ruby like to come too?"

"I think she'd be mad at me if I got to enjoy Kat's cooking alone..." Belle giggled.

"Yeah I would or I would want a doggie bag!" Ruby cried.

"She's welcome too. I'll tell Kat to expect two more."

"Ummm . . . I hope we don't have put more work on her." Belle said sheepishly, not wanting to risk Robert's wife's wrath.

"When Kat cooks, she can feed half of Manhattan's homeless" he snickered.

"All right. We'll be over and thank you, Bobby."

"Be seeing you." He said. Then he hung up. "Kat, Belle and Ruby are coming to dinner."

"Set an extra place then, _caro mio_ ," his wife replied as she stirred the sauce and pasta. The kitchen was redolent with the aroma of garlic, basil, and other savory spices.

Neal sniffed the air and clapped his hands.

Kat smiled. "Hungry, bambino?"

"Uh huh. Kat Kat getti. Yum!"

Kat kept alert while she was cooking knowing her husband had a habit of trying to sample the merchandise before dinner. She caught on to his guilty little secret when nearly a half dozen of her chocolate chip cookies had gone missing one afternoon while they were cooling.

When she sought him out he feigned ignorance until she looked in the wastebasket and discovered chocolate stained napkins.

"Well Counselor, take a look at People's Exhibit A. A napkin...stained with chocolate!" She held it up.

"Bae did it!" he protested.

"The prosecution would like to call Mr. Baelfire Gold to the stand please."

Bae appeared in the room laughing hysterically.

"Now, Mr. Gold, would you please tell the court where you were at the time of the cookie theft?" Kat questioned.

"Well ahh, Mrs. Gold, I was at lunch with a friend and this can be verified by a witness...my superior angel Cas."

Kat turned to Robert with a scowl on her face. "And where were YOU at the time of the theft, Mr. Gold?"

"I was writing a brief."

"Hmmn..." She looked down at his desk. "And snacking too! I submit People's Exhibit B. Crumbs on the desk that when tested will match my cookie recipe!"

"Ummm...ummm..."

"I'm offering you two weeks' probation. Don't take it and you will have a month of no desserts!"

Her husband gave her a sheepish grin. "Can't fool you, can I, sweetheart?" he teased. He enjoyed their witty banter, it was something that had been lacking with Belle ever since she had been released from the asylum.

"No and I learned from the best when it comes to winning a case!" She laughed. "Now then do you wish to plead guilty and accept my offer or shall we let the jury decide? Tick tock, dearie!"

"Guilty as charged."

"As probation, YOU will be doing the cooking for the next two weeks...and no sampling!"

He was still on his probationary period.

"Dearie, that's cruel and unusual punishment," he objected. "A cook needs to taste test the food to make sure it's good."

"I will be doing the testing, dearie. Do you want to make it a month?"

He gave her pleading puppy dog eyes, just like his son used to give him.

"Oh no...don't be making those eyes at me, Robert Gold. I will not be taken in this time."

But dammit, her resolve was weakening. _No Kat, be firm._

He just gazed at her woefully.

"Oh damn you...you know just how to get me, don't you!" she moaned.

They were able to reach a compromise. He was only able to taste test everything but his baked goods.

The moment she walked into the house, Belle was taken back to when she was only a caretaker in his castle. He informed her on her first day that she would serve him his meals, not that he cooked them himself.

"Well you don't know how to cook, dearie. Someone has to else we'd starve to death, now wouldn't we...and you can't work on an empty stomach."

"Oh...my...God...I never smelled anything so good...not even at Granny's!" Ruby was almost drooling.

"B...Be...llle...Belle!" Neal cried happily and held out his arms to her.

"Oh...oh! He said my name!" Belle squealed with delight and picked him up. She always enjoyed babysitting the young prince in Storybrooke and often thought of the time when she and Rumple could have their own child but that dream was over now. She would have a child someday but it would not be his. She only hoped the man she married would be at least half the man Rumple was...and had been too blind to see.

"He says everyone's name, he's just started talking and he says over ten words already." Snow boasted.

"That's wonderful. Say Ruby," Ruby pleaded.

"Ruuu...beee...Ruby!"

"Oh! He said my name too!"

"Ruby...owwwwoooo!" Neal howled.

Ruby laughed. "He sounds better than I do in wolf form."

"He's a natural mimic, like Rum," Kat laughed. "Now will someone get drinks, because this spaghetti is almost al dente, and you want to eat while it's still hot."

"I'll do it," David offered.

"There's iced tea in a pitcher in the fridge," Robert told him. "We also have Aquafina, sparkling cider, soda, and a bottle of Moscato D'Oro."

He brought them all out knowing the guests had different tastes.

He poured a glass of tea for Belle, handed Ruby a water and he and Snow had glasses of Moscato 'd Oro.

They imagined everyone back in Storybrooke, not that there were many of them left would find it odd that they were sitting down to dinner with the former Dark One while the two current ones were turning their haven into a dark paradise.

The last sight Belle and Ruby had of Storybrooke chilled them to the bones. Since she stayed longer than the others, Belle witnessed more of the women's mayhem. There were shrines and statues to both in various spots around town and new, harsher laws were now in effect.

Every day more people were placed in the stocks in the town square with the crime committed branded into their skins. Regina enjoyed holding public floggings and after curfew the streets would be patrolled by none other than flying monkeys. These were a more vicious breed than Zelena's own creations since they would eat their victims.

In the schools a new history was being taught, any traces of the former residents or Undesirables as they were called had been cleansed from any of the town's media.

Every pole and building in town held posters of the town's new Public Enemies: those who resisted the new regime but few of them were still alive, they were being captured by the Queens' wraith force...invisible to their prey until the moment they were snatched away.

Along with residents of the town, posters also featured those who were no longer in the town with warnings that anyone caught consorting with the Undesirables would be executed.

Along with a new curriculum, the students were also required to wear new uniforms. The boys were required to wear black shirts and pants with a red leather jacket with a dagger piercing and apple. The girls were required to wear a black blouse and red sweater with a dagger emblem, a red scarf and black skirts with red trim.

As part of their efforts to rewrite history the queens decided that they no longer had use for the library and were determined to destroy it. The queens invited everyone to bear witness to the destruction of the last place that held any evidence of the past and then it vanished leaving them seething with rage.

As Belle informed her friends of the terrifying transformation to their town, they all shivered. "Also...Regina is pregnant. Ariel texted me about it when she and Eric left this morning. Bobby, I don't know how they did it...if they found a man to...or used some form of dark magic."

"More than likely they used the darkest forms of magic and had to pay a price, dearie," Robert said. "What that price was, I cannot say but one day there will be a battle and Neal as the champion of the light must face this darkling."

"Neal and our child," Kat spoke up. "The power of two as one as the power of three freed you Bobby."

"Kat!" Snow cried. "Are you expecting?"

"Am I, Bobby?"

"Remember what I taught you about reading living auras, sweetheart?" He could have tried it himself but he wanted Kat to try it on her own.

Kat placed her hand on her belly and closed her eyes, reaching out with her magical senses and she could feel a small spirit, aglow with the brightest light reaching out to her.

"Bobby...oh Bobby...I am...I'm having a baby!" Kat sobbed joyfully.

Robert got out his chair and threw his arms around his wife, tears streaming down his cheeks. This time he would be there when his child was born, be there for every step of her development. No curse would ever part them nor would her mother abandon them.

"Well it looks like we have some celebrating to do!" David announced and held up his glass. "To Kat and Bobby...and baby!"

Bae appeared in the room and hugged both his father and stepmother. "Was wondering how long it was gonna take you to figure it out! I've known for a week!" he laughed.

"And ye dinna tell me, lad? I oughta spank ye!" Robert laughed.

"Belle and Kat will protect me," Bae said with a smirk.

"I wouldn't count on it," Belle said with a grin. She was shocked when Ruby first told her Bae could return to his father when he wished but she was glad. Robert needed his son; for the longest time Bae had been his world.

Kat conjured a chair. "We're celebrating, Bae, now sit your rear end down in that chair and eat with us."

"Be glad to, Mama, but I hope you cooked enough...cause I eat a lot."

"When don't I? Never!"

Bae was also eager to tell them about the new love in his life but not yet. Her name was Auriel, in Latin meaning 'gold'. She was now one of the strongest angels in Heaven; a healer, a messenger and a warrior. She'd lived during the 1700s, a tumultuous time in Scotland, running an orphanage populated by children left homeless during the purges or lost their parents to disease or battles. She'd faced down the English soldiers who came to the orphanage to kill all the children and their mistress that had been unjustly accused of consorting with the devil and dabbling in witchcraft knowing she would not escape but her charges had. Now she was content to watch over their descendants, some of them the strongest light mages and healers in the Old Country.

"Ye may be needin them when the dark spawn wages his war, love," she said to Bae one evening.

"I just wish my family didn't have to fight so much."

"Aye and I dinna like seeing the bairns of my wee ones fightin' either but it has tae be done, Bae. Yer family is the light that will guide them to where they need to be."

And in Storybrooke, the fairies and the last good souls left in the town made their way through the mines to the other side following their own version of the North Star to their sanctuary in New York. Now all that was left in the town were the Dark Queens and those with the darkest souls, even children with faces of angels and hearts as black as coal.

After dinner Robert called the others to come over to celebrate their joyous news with them.

"Looks like we're gonna be havin our kids close together, Kat!"

"I'm a wee bit behind ye, dearie!" Kat giggled.

"Not that far, hon!"

Bae snickered. "And I pity the poor bastards that come to date my little sister."

Robert snorted. "They won't even get in the door."

"She's meant to be Neal's bride, Bae." Kat reminded him.

Neal grinned from his mother's arms. "I marry good baby."

Belle laughed from where she was sitting. "Somehow I think anyone who tries to date _me_ should be worried too."

"Yes, they should," Robert said firmly. "There are just as many deviants in this world, Belle, as there are back in ours and I wouldn't be a good friend if I stood back and allowed one of them to get his paws into you."

"Don't worry, Belle. We'll have them checked out," Kat reassured her.

"Guess I'll be workin a lotta overtime," Jeanna joked.

"No, you're on maternity leave!" Archie said firmly. "That means no climbing up fire escapes, trees, whatever. Let Little John handle all that!"

Jeanna had recently hired Robin's second in command to work at her PI firm after Archie pleaded with her for weeks to hire an assistant especially now that she was expecting.

"You think you're gonna keep me housebound, Doc?" Jeanna teased.

"You bet I am. I've caught on to your tricks!"

They gave each other heated looks across the table.

"Ye need a room?" Robert chuckled.

"Mom! You're having a kid! Don't you think you should….wait…?" Henry asked, blushing.

"Oh, what he doesn't know!" Jeanna giggled.

"And he's not going to…until he's fifty!" Bae cried.

"Or sixty!" Archie added.

Henry rolled his eyes. "Guys, come on! I'm not gonna be a monk!"

Kat laughed. "You will if your fathers and grandfather have anything to say about it."

"And I'm siding with your fathers on this one, Henry. Wait until you're older and more mature. Your aunt is not doing any of that until she's older either." Robert interjected.

"And so is Neal," said David.

"Have there been any more refugees from Storybrooke coming in?" Geppetto asked.

"Not recently," Henry answered. "Grandpa, Kat, and I still have the beacon up until the last person leaves. It'll know when it needs to burn out. We can't risk having Emma and Regina see it."

"Is there any chance they'll find the escape route?"

"No. Once the beacon burns out the tunnel will seal itself off," Kat explained. "It works like the barrier spell we set. No dark soul or dark mage will be able to cross that barrier. We've trapped them….for now."

"Papa, tell me there are no loopholes," Bae begged.

"I don't leave loopholes in situations like these, Bae. That barrier cannot be crossed. The only chance they have of escaping is through a portal but if they try to come here the portal will misdirect them to another realm."

"And as far as we know there's nothing left in Storybrooke to make a portal," Snow added.

They all breathed a sigh of relief and for the rest of the evening they continued to celebrate the upcoming births of Robert and Archie's children.

 **Page~*~*~*~Break**

A week later Kat received another unexpected visit from Belle, but this time the young woman was terrified.

"Bobby will be home in an hour. I'll make us some tea and then you can tell me what's bothering you."

Belle's hands trembled while she sipped from her cup. "I've been hearing strange noises in the library at night since I started working there but when I go to check I can't find anything."

"What kind of noises?"

"Music mostly….and sometimes voices….and I know this sounds bizarre Kat but I feel like someone is WATCHING me too!"

"Watching you? How?"

"The library has a lot of mirrors, more than you would expect in one. I clean it three nights a week to earn some extra money and that's when I start hearing all those strange noises. Last night I thought I smelled something too!"

"Have you told anyone at the library about this?"

"Yes and they all think I'm crazy! Do you think I'm crazy?"

"After getting to know you I would say no. Either someone is sneaking into the library at night to scare you or it's being haunted. Nothing you've seen or heard sounds familiar?"

"Ummm…the music….I thought I heard one of the compositions being played at the college. We have a professor there named Erik Fantome. He's something of a recluse but all of his students adore him, mostly the females."

"Have you ever spoken to Professor Fantome?"

"He comes into the library sometimes to check out books on classical music but he doesn't talk to me that much though I try to get him to."

Kat thought for a moment. "Belle, I think you're dealing with the Phantom of the Opera…or in this case the Phantom of the Library."

"It could be a coincidence."

"I think not, sweetie. His last name…Fantome means 'phantom' in French. His first name is Erik, he's a recluse, composes music, teaches music just like Erik did in the book and the movie. Plus we both know he uses mirrors as passages. Now to my next question…is he disfigured as he was in the books or the movie?"

She nodded. "One of his students I'm friends with said he's a Gulf War veteran."

"Then it sounds like he's trying to reach out to you, Belle, but he doesn't know how. This your chance to learn from the mistakes you made with Rumple, to get it right this time. Be the light amidst the ocean of darkness Erik needs."

"Who is Erik?" Robert demanded from the doorway while he was being mauled by their two ecstatic familiars. "Now calm down ye beasties and lemme talk to Belle!"

"He's a professor at the college and the Phantom of the Opera…well…actually the Phantom of the Library," Kat explained.

"What?! You better tell me everything."

After Belle finished her tale over tea and scones Robert set his cup down, his eyes meeting hers. "I think Kat is right, Belle, but let me do some research on this man before you confront him."

"Bobby, I don't want to scare him off if he's trying to reach out to me! I don't want to make the same mistake twice! And if he's THE Erik….I don't WANT to be a replacement for Christine! I want him to love me for ME."

"If you handle this properly dearie, you will," he reassured her and took out his phone to call Jeanna's office. Kat went to wake Neal from his nap, feed him and change him while Robert and Belle talked to Jeanna and Little John. The two investigators agreed to run a background check on the mysterious music professor.

"And Belle, if he was in the Gulf War, he may have PTSD like my late fiancé did and you'll need to talk to Doc about how to handle that but wait till we get the goods on him first," Jeanna advised.

"Okay, thank you, Jeanna."

"We'll move as quick as we can on this one, Bobby."

"Good."

While Robert, Jeanna, and Little John worked on the background checks, Kat went to the library under the pretense of checking out baby books to see if she could pick up any magical auras in the library and as she suspected, they were the strongest near the mirrors. One night after the library closed Robert and Kat drove over there to meet her at the beginning of her overnight cleaning shift.

"What did you find out from the background check, Bobby?" Belle inquired.

"That part about him being a Gulf War veteran is true, Belle, but the rest isn't….at least not in THIS century."

"What century then?"

"The nineteenth…as it was in all the media about it but I'm sensing our world's magic here, specifically Wonderland's with all the looking glasses so our professor has been there."

"I wish he would come out and talk to me."

"He may be waiting for a sign, dearie." He waved his hand over her arm and a gold bracelet made from his spun gold appeared on her wrist. "This bracelet has a protection and location spell on it Belle, that way I will always know how to find you in case you are in danger. If anyone tries to remove it from you by force they'll have a nasty surprise waiting for them."

Kat gestured and a seeing globe appeared in her hands. "We would go in with you but we don't want to frighten him. This is something you'll need to do alone. But remember, we're here if you need us."

Belle hugged them. "Thank you both so much."

"Do us proud, dearie," he murmured and put his arm around Kat's shoulders, walking her back to the car.

"Do you think she'll succeed this time?" she asked him as they drove away.

"I do." He grinned.

"You've SEEN something, haven't you?"

"Maybe," he giggled.

"Oh come on! Tell me!" Kat swatted him playfully.

"Ah, ah, ah…you have to wait for it…"

"Oooh you….when we get home…"

"You'll what?"

"That's for me to know…and you to find out!"

"Are ye gonna make a deal wi' me?"

"Mayhap."

"Looking forward to it!"

 **Page~*~*~Break**

 _Do the brave thing and bravery will follow._

 _Stop thinking like a person with a hero complex, Belle. That's why you failed the first time. Be the woman to him you couldn't be to Rumple, the one that will never stop fighting, to accept him as he is._

She paused in front of the mirror behind the circulation desk. "Erik, I know you're in there and that you can hear me. Why won't you come out and talk to me?"

Seconds later she heard one of his symphonies start playing over the speaker system.

"I'm not afraid of you, I never was. Don't you remember? I always try to talk to you but you never say a word to me. Why are you not afraid to stand up in front of classrooms full of students to teach music but you are here in the library?"

The music stopped.

"Erik, please come out and talk to me!" she pleaded. "Are you afraid I won't believe you when you tell me you're from another world. I will….because I am too."

"DON'T PLAY GAMES WITH ME!" she heard a voice yell over the speakers.

"It's the truth!" she insisted. "Your mirrors….they're looking glasses from Wonderland and if I tried to, I could walk right through them."

"Go back to your cleaning or read your books. I'll never bother you again."

"If you won't come to me, I'll come to you." She stepped toward the mirror with her hands outstretched, the mirror shimmering as she passed through it, finding herself at the top of a long curving staircase leading downward.

"How do you know about Wonderland mirrors?"

"I told you. I'm from the Enchanted Forest. My real name is Belle," she explained as she descended the staircase, candles in gold holders lighting up as she passed them. "Are you a magician like Rumple?"

"The Dark One?"

"He's not the Dark One anymore. He broke his curse."

"Ahh…good for him. How do you know him, my lady?"

"I…ahhh…I was his castle's caretaker…and ahhh…his ex-wife. How do you know him?"

"I never met him but I have heard of him."

Silver smoke surrounded her and transformed her cleaning uniform into a blue satin evening gown that matched her eyes perfectly, her long hair loose and flowing.

"There. That's better. That dreary uniform didn't suit you. My magic doesn't frighten you, does it?"

"No…I'm…I'm just wondering how you have it."

"I didn't in our world, Belle. I learned the art here. Back in our world I was a composer in King Leopold's court but I left court after the death of Queen Eva. I was not fond of the new queen."

"How did you end up here?" She found herself standing in front of a lake where a small boat waited.

"I purchased magic beans from a peddler and used one of them to bring me here but for some strange reason I arrived in the nineteenth century. Time is different between our worlds as you've noticed. Get in. The boat will row itself."

She lifted her skirts and climbed into the boat. It sailed slowly down the lake. "Is this part of the library?"

"We're not in the library anymore. We're not even in New York."

"Where are we?"

"You'll see," he said softly.

"Were…were you the Phantom of the Opera?"

"I was. But it was a different story than the ones we've seen. And you are a different Belle than we've seen, oui?"

"Yes I am," she said sadly. "One that had a lot of growing up to do."

The boat stopped in front of a cobblestone pathway leading to another mirror. "Step through that mirror and you will be in my home," he instructed.

She now stood in a beautiful sitting room reminiscent of the Victorian Era with a high ornate ceiling illuminated by a replica of the chandelier from the Paris Opera house in the original Broadway production of the Phantom of the Opera musical. There were marble statues of Aphrodite and Eros on each side of the mirrored entrance. There was a black grand piano in the corner of the room along with a large golden harp and framed posters of original Paris Opera House productions lined the walls but to Belle's surprise none of them featured Christine Daae. She also spotted several promotional images from the original Broadway production of Phantom of the Opera starring Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman and music from the production played from a Victrola. Her host was sitting on the loveseat sipping a cup of tea. He looked up and smiled, setting his cup down.

"Welcome to my home…well, part of it anyway."

"Erik, it's…it's beautiful…but where are we?"

"Under the Paris Opera House, of course, but my home is invisible except to those I wish it not to be." He gestured to the sofa. "Please sit down and have some tea. You have as many questions for me as I have for you."

"I do…is Erik your real name?"

"It is. But I chose the surname Fantome because it made me a bit more eccentric when I first arrived here. I built myself this sanctuary below the Paris Opera house because I was a stranger in a strange land." His hand touched his scarred face. "This happened before I left our world. When King Leopold died I went into exile and was living in a village that supported the princess but the queen decided to make an example of us by burning our village to the ground. I was fortunate to escape but many were not."

"I'm so sorry," Belle said softly.

"I came here and as the story goes, I was enchanted by the lovely singing voice of Mademoiselle Christine Daae. She flourished under my tutelage and became one of the finest sopranos of the era…but she also attracted the attentions of some rather unscrupulous men, one of them the stage hand." Erik's eyes narrowed to slits. "But I did not kill him. The fool ended his own miserable life by being too busy leering at the young girls in the dance troupe than paying attention to his work."

"What about Raoul?"

"We were not rivals for young Christine's affections. She was much too young. However, I felt that the count wanted an ornament on his arm and would hold Christine back. She refused to listen to me and Raoul and I quarreled resulting in the fire at the Opera House. He took Christine away and when I finally tracked them down I learned she died in childbirth."

"Did you stay here?"

He shook his head. "I used one of the beans I still had left and decided to return to our world but our world was not safe under Regina's reign. My portal took me to Wonderland and I lived in the court of the White King and Queen for a time but I longed to return to this world. They gave me one of their mirrors and the directions to make my own to travel anywhere I wished to. I returned to this world the same time Regina brought you all here with her curse. I feared she would find me, that is why I began to study magic. I am still a bit of a novice and I rarely use it but there will come a time when I will need to."

"So you became a music professor. What made you decide to fight in the Gulf War?"

"I love this country, Belle, and was happy to serve." He lowered his head. "But many of us who returned, we're still fighting a war with our own bodies and minds. Have you heard the term _Gulf War Syndrome?"_

"In passing. Didn't it refer to soldiers coming home getting sick?"

He nodded. "I rarely talk about it."

 _Just like Rumple,_ she thought.

"You don't have to be afraid to talk to me. About any of it."

He scowled at her. "I will not have your pity!"

"It's not pity!" she insisted. "I want to be your friend if you let me."

"And what is your story, Belle?"

The hour passed slowly as she told her tale with brutal honesty, hoping with all her heart that he would not think she was trying to be a hero again when it couldn't be further from the truth. She just wanted to show him that someone did care about him and if the fates were kind they could be more to each other than just friends.

"All I ask, Erik, is that you don't make me a replacement for Christine."

"And all I ask, Belle, is that I not be a replacement for Rumplestiltskin."

"Will you play something for me?"

"Of course."

He picked up one of the chairs and set it beside the piano for her to sit in while he played. "What would you like to hear?"

"Music Of the Night."

"Night time sharpens, heightens each sensation

Darkness stirs and wakes imagination

Silently the senses abandon their defenses

Slowly, gently night unfurls its splendor

Grasp it, sense it, tremulous and tender

Turn your face away from the garish light of day

Turn your thoughts away from cold unfeeling light

And listen to the music of the night…" they sang together as he played.

"….What do you think, Bobby?" Kat quizzed her husband.

Robert waved his hand over the seeing globe, leaving Belle and Erik to have their privacy.

"She'll succeed," he said confidently. "She's grown up so much since she's been here."

Belle was now a regular visitor at the Gold house, bringing Erik with her every time she visited. His colleagues at the college were pleased to see the once elusive music professor socializing more. He was also composing and writing a new musical, one that had been inspired by the new love in his life and planned its premiere for her birthday. Once resistant to anyone using magic, Belle now encouraged Erik to take magic lessons alongside Kat and Henry and he was thriving under Rumple's tutelage. He was also having regular sessions with Archie for his PTSD issues and seeing different doctors for the complications he still suffered from serving in the Gulf War. They decided to move in together after they'd been dating four months and everyone knew it was just a matter of time before they announced their wedding plans.

A/N: We hope you enjoyed this chapter and it gives you some relaxation in this busy holiday season! More to come soon! With Bae and the DarkSwanQueen.


	15. Unchained Melody

**~ Unchained Melody ~**

When Baelfire Gold had died, he had assumed that his life was finished, but what he failed to realize was that his life was just beginning. Granted a special dispensation by the Powers—those angelic seraphim and cherubim who were closest to the Almighty—Bae was allowed to become one of the special celestial guardians—so that he could protect his family. He had never thought to find anything more this side of Heaven, for such a dispensation was very rare. Most souls were brought before the Celestial Court when they passed from their mortal life and the Court—composed of both angels and demons—judged them based upon their deeds, thoughts, and the state of their soul when they died. The judgment of the Courts was irreversible—though most souls were placed in a sort of waystop—where they remained until they repented and learned from their past mistakes via contemplation and divine teaching—then went on to their version of the afterlife, depending upon their beliefs. Those who did not profess to believe anything were sent to a comfortable place where their souls could rest. Those who proved unrepentant were sent to Hell— where they dwelled with the other dark souls and were tormented by demons.

A very few dark souls were allowed to become demon souls themselves—the Dark One had been such a soul in the beginning—and it still was.

Most mortal magicians incorrectly assumed the Dark One was THE primordial darkness in the universe—but that was false. No human vessel could have contained that force. But an angel had once been depraved enough to embrace a demon soul and so become its host and the first Dark One, and in order to Balance this, the Light had been permitted to create a check upon it—the dagger which could control the demon soul and the host.

The dagger was a creation of a powerful celestial angel—for only such a one could create something powerful enough to tether a demon soul. His name was Castiel, born of the heavenly fire, but for a time he had walked the mortal world to get a better understanding of his Creator's Best Beloved creation—mankind. When he had done so—he had been a young wizard of amazing power—who called himself simply—Merlin—which meant Hawk. As Merlin he had been a powerful force for good, and being angelic, could assume many guises—though one of his favorites had been an old wise man. Though another favorite was a dark haired pale youth, because humans tended to overlook or underestimate the young and old. He advised one of the most influential kings of the era-Arthur of Britain-and Arthur's reign was marked by being one of light and progress and chivalry.

When the Balance between Light and Dark was in danger of being disrupted because of his presence—for a celestial being brought about change whether or not he willed it—Merlin returned to Heaven and became once more his angelic self, leaving behind him many legends and stories of his passing.

As Castiel, however, he was in charge of mentoring the celestial guardians—one of whom was Baelfire Gold. Another of his students was Auriel, the Scottish Guardian, herself close to becoming a mentor as Castiel was. Castiel was content to allow his second, as he sometimes called Auriel, to guide those new to the ranks of the guardians.

It was often amusing to the elder angel to observe how mankind so often misinterpreted the Holy Writ to their own misfortune. For instance, most humans assumed that the dark entities—the demons—were ugly with tails and horns and horrific faces. That was false, for while they could assume such terrifying forms to scare the spit out of mortals, their true forms were ones of indescribable beauty—for they too had once been angels. But now they were fallen, their choices damning them to hell. So their beauty was only skin deep—yet nonetheless a demon in his or her true form could beguile a stone to desire them. Another common misinterpretation is that someone who was perfect must be good and someone who was flawed must be evil. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Imperfections were beautiful in the eyes of the divine. The Creator and His Son loved mankind precisely because they were unpredictably imperfect. They already had near perfection with the angelic host—They did not want such with humans. Often those humans who claimed to be "perfect" were actually full of pride, arrogance, and sanctimonious spite—and were actually following the dark path. Those souls who had achieved the highest accolades as saints were also among the most flawed—but they were cognizant of their flaws and sought always to overcome them, but they never forgot what they had been. No one who preached perfection and pure heroism was granted sainthood.

On Earth mortals claimed there was a "perfect hero" but in Heaven they knew there was no such thing. By their very nature, humans were imperfect and flawed. But it was how they overcame their imperfections and rose above and beyond them which made some heroes. And the greatest heroes were always those who had once been lost and returned to the light.

It was armed with this knowledge that Bae decided to try and redeem Emma. Actually, he knew redemption wasn't up to him—that belonged only to the Creator—and only if the subject was willing and chose to be redeemed. For evil was always a choice. And so too was choosing the Light over temptation.

Bae knew that Emma's fall had greatly upset their son, and the former thief and spinner's son felt keenly that his death might have started Emma down the dark road all unwitting. Certainly her relationship with Hook was something that had not helped her morally or socially, and the devilish pirate had played the chameleon to such a degree he had fooled everyone in Storybrooke to believing he was a hero except Rumple, who knew from his own possession how to see the darkness within others.

Bae couldn't rest until he had at least attempted to speak with the former Savior of Storybrooke, and try to plant the seeds of remembrance and repentance in her heart. He knew that part of her fall had been due to the reacquired darkness that had been hers at birth, which the Charmings had foolishly attempted to remove. Such a thing went against all the Laws of the Balance—for a child was innocent and born with equal potential for both dark and light within them. Their choices throughout their life determined which part would hold sway. By magically removing Emma's portion of the darkness—the Charmings had created an imbalance within her soul—one that had been both righted and then skewed to the dark when the demon had persuaded her to accept it and become the Dark Swan.

Bae knew full well that it had been Emma's decision to turn to the darkness—she had not been tricked into making a deal she didn't understand as had his father. She had fully been aware of what she chose. As had Regina. But he also knew that because of her former actions as the Savior—Emma had the potential to be redeemed. If she could be made to see the error of her ways and regret her choice.

Bae had spent many hours as he flew about the vast celestial gardens thinking about how best to convince his former lover that she had made the wrong choice. He did not fool himself that he alone could redeem her, but still he had to try. If he could bring even the slightest sliver of light into her soul, and make her recall what she used to love, it might be enough to begin her return—and perhaps her baby brother might be able to complete the process when he was grown.

And a part of him still cared for the former bailbondsperson. She had been his first and only love as a mortal. The mother of his son. A product of True Love. And he knew that the Dark had scored a great victory when it turned Emma Swan.

He could feel the darkness in Storybrooke growing stronger, and he hoped that he could serve as a light in the stygian darkness, bringing hope to Emma's beleaguer soul.

So he prepared to pay a visit to her, in spirit form. He dared not become too vulnerable, and so would not take human form with her. That might prove too much of temptation, and she might try and capture him. Bae was unsure whether or not his celestial status would prevent the new Dark Swan from doing so when he was mortal, so he preferred to play it safe. Besides, he was more intimidating and powerful in his spirit form.

"So, ye are going to visit the Dark Swan, are ye?" Auriel appeared beside him, her golden wings beating softly. She had long gold-tinged hair of dark chestnut and her eyes were a bright green set in a sweetly heart-shaped face. She looked almost delicate, petite even, but her strength was evident in her graceful movements. And even more beautiful than her face was her spirit—kind, generous, intuitive, and forgiving.

"Yes," he admitted. "Are you going to tell me I'm making a mistake?"

She tilted her head to one side, like a curious child, dressed in her usual clothing, a free flowing aqua tunic belted with a strip of gold leather and snow white leggings and boots which matched. She wore a blue, gold, and green tartan scarf as well, the colors reminiscent of her clan—the Campbells. In life she had been Audra Campbell, renamed Auriel when she had reached heaven's gates and been accepted into the host.

"Do ye think so, Bae?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Is that your way of answering me, to ask a question?"

She shrugged one shoulder. "Tis my way of getting to see how ye think, dearie."

"I . . . want to help Emma. No . . . I feel like I need to try and help her."

"Why?"

"Because . . . of my son. He was very upset that the Savior of Storybrooke fell so easily into darkness and . . . I believe he thinks he's somehow to blame. Because he left."

"He is not. And there was nothing 'easy' about her fall. She has long harbored resentment in her heart and soul. Resentment against her parents for giving her up, for growing up alone, even resentment for ye whom she thought abandoned her and then more when she gave up her son."

"I know. I hurt her . . . and though I tried, I can never make that up to her."

"No, ye cannae, Bae. For only she can let go o' her anger and resentment. Not ye. And because she wouldna . . . she chose to fall into darkness. 'Tis easy to blame others for yer own misery, Baelfire. People do it every day, every hour. But the truth is . . . ye and ye alone make yer own choices and the misery from them is of yer own doing. Ye were not responsible for Emma running away and becoming a thief. Ye also were not responsible for her choosing to give up her child."

"But if I had stayed . . . perhaps she might not have done so."

"Aye, ye can argue that . . . and I can argue that ye'd have been in jail right along wi' her—and still yer laddie woulda been taken away fer another to raise. Bae, no one gives ye a map to navigate the twists and turns o' yer life. All choices have consequences. The fact is, dearie, Emma chose long before she met ye to steal and to become a burglar. Even as a child she nicked things. She also chose to blame ye when things went wrong—when the fact was she chose to traffic in illegal goods. She knew the risks, she chose to take them . . . and also chose to take the consequences when caught. She was no' an innocent, Baelfire. Ye know this as well as I."

Bae nodded, knowing she was right. "That still doesn't alleviate my guilt."

Auriel gave him a sympathetic look. "Bae, ye have naught to feel guilty for. Ye died for her and that sacrifice atoned for all yer sins. Ye did not give her the burden of Savior."

"No. My papa did."

"Only to break the darkest curse. One time. After that—she chose to take on the burden. Influenced by her parents who perhaps wished for a daughter who was more a hero and less ordinary. But ye never wanted a savior, Bae. Did ye?"

"No. I only wanted her to love me," he admitted. Then he looked away. "Are you . . . angry at me?"

"Angry? Why would I be?"

"Because I . . . just admitted I loved another woman. Besides you."

To his shock, she laughed. "Oh, Bae! Do ye think I am so petty as that? To be jealous because once ye loved her? Love is never wrong, my heart. Whatever form it takes . . . it is always divine. And I am no' a human, to be so insecure in my love of ye that I would feel jealousy and resentment for that poor wee girl."

Bae burst out laughing. "Is . . . is that what you think of her? She'd punch you out!"

Auriel giggled. "She'd no' be able to catch me. And aye, 'tis what she is . . . a poor lost girl. One who has longed all her days to find someone who loved her and a home . . . but she couldna recognize love when it was offered from ye or her parents, and instead held onto petty resentment from her childhood. Her laddie offered her love too . . . but again 'twas never enough. I dinna know why. Only the Almighty kens. And thus she sought to fill the hole in her heart . . . with the wrong kinds of people and the wrong kind of magic. She was fooled by appearances and illusion . . . and a part o' her still is."

"She thinks Regina loves her. But Regina only loves her darkness."

"Aye. Do ye think ye'll convince her of that?"

"I'm going to try. For my boy. For me. Once she was on the side of the Light. Maybe I can remind her of that again." Bae said determinedly.

"Then if ye are determined to go into the lion's den, best I come wi' ye," Auriel stated.

Bae shook his head. "No. This is for me to do."

"Is it? Last I checked, I still outrank ye," she pointed out maddeningly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he demanded, stung. "You'll forbid me unless you're with me?"

"No. But it's always wise when facing a powerful dark force to have someone watch yer back," Auriel replied evenly. "And ye are still a novice guardian, Bae. 'Tis my duty to protect ye. Even from yerself."

He sighed. "Meaning you'll only follow me later."

"Aye," she smirked. "Got it in one." Then she added quietly, "I willna eavesdrop on yer conversation wi' Emma. I just want to make sure ye aren't ambushed by Regina."

"Thank you. There's nobody I'd trust more."

"Not even Cas?" she teased.

"In this, you outrank him."

"I love ye, Bae!" she said, and kissed him.

He grinned, then murmured, "Come on then, my Highland angel. Time to enter the lair of the Beast. And to save a soul."

Page~*~*~Break

Emma was sitting crosslegged on her bed, sipping her favorite beverage—cocoa with cinnamon. Regina was gone for the day, researching the spell that would enable her to bear a child. The bed was a huge affair, twice the size of the one she had shared with Hook, with three feather mattresses and a down satin comforter with the Dark Queen logo embroidered on it, and lots of satin pillows. It was the most comfortable bed she had ever slept in, but right then she was feeling oddly nostalgic and lonely.

Above the bed hung a dreamcatcher—the same dreamcatcher she had removed from Neal's apartment. As she drank her cocoa, she gazed up at the dreamcatcher, recalling a time when she had been more innocent and inclined to believe dreams come true.

Suddenly the center of the dreamcatcher glowed and shimmered.

A startled Emma spilled her cocoa all over the bed.

Then Bae's face appeared.

"Neal?" she gasped, her eyes wide.

"Hey, Emma."

"How are you here?" she demanded, lifting her hand, which glowed with dark power. "Is this some kind of trick?"

"No trick, hon," Bae answered quietly. "I'm here because we need to talk."

She relaxed, her magical senses telling her this was no illusion. He was truly there—in spirit. "Oh, now you want to talk?" she snapped.

"Now's as good a time as any, don't you think?" he asked serenely, unperturbed by her attitude.

"Why? Do you think I'm pining over you?" she sneered, waving a hand and cleaning up the spilled cocoa.

"I don't think you ever really did that, Emma. Not after the first week," he responded tartly.

"How do you know? Been watching me?"

"Watching you, no. Watching our son, yeah."

"I don't have a son anymore."

He frowned. "Really? You give him up again?"

"He chose the cricket over me!"

"No. You chose the pirate over him." Bae corrected. "Let's be honest here."

"I had the right!" she snapped. "I had the right to be happy!"

"You do. But why wasn't Henry enough? He was in the beginning. He was your True Love kiss. What changed, Em?"

She remained silent. Then, unable to bear his regard, she squirmed and retorted, "He wasn't enough. I grew up, Neal. I found Hook and he . . . he claimed he loved me . . ."

"Lies. He loved getting you," Bae refuted. "He always wanted what he couldn't have. It's why he always went for the women who were married."

"How would you know?" she demanded scornfully. "You were dead!"

"Yes. But I knew the truth before I died, Em. And once you did too. Until you were taken in by his slick talk and you forgot everything you knew about dealing with scumbags."

"He changed, Neal. For me."

"Yes. To get you. Not because he truly meant to. If he truly had changed, Em, he never would have blackmailed my papa for his hand back. Or beaten Will in front of the library and threatened to kill him if he told you."

"What? When was this?"

"Before your date he went to Papa's shop," Bae explained what Rumple had told him. "And after your date he went walking and found Will, drunk and grieving the death of his wife in front of the library. Will was freezing and trying to get into the library for warmth . . . and Hook attacked him and beat him up. Just because he felt like it. Then he went back to Papa, and demanded he remove his 'cursed' hand. Papa refused, said the hand wasn't cursed, it was all Hook's own doing. That he was the same man he always was. Then Hook attacked him—after promising him he wouldn't. And that was when Papa lost his temper and made a deal with him to remove the hand if Hook would use the hat on the Apprentice. And Hook agreed. Ah, never knew that, did you?"

Emma shook her head. "No. But . . . that's done now. I don't need him anymore. Or you. All I need is Regina."

"Really? Or is that what the demon needs? A soul as corrupt as itself to be its equal?"

"She's my heart, Neal! She's the only one who has ever truly loved me. Not the Savior. Just me."

"I loved you, Emma. You weren't the savior to me."

"You abandoned me! You chose our son over me!" she raged. "Just like my parents. They chose my brother over me."

Bae raised an eyebrow. "You seriously believe that? You sound like a selfish spoiled brat. You can't share your parents with your baby brother? Or me with Henry? Henry was the one who believed in you all those years ago."

"He believed I could be something I wasn't!" she growled. "I never wanted to be the Savior, Neal."

"You had a choice. After the Dark Curse was broken, you could have said no. You always have a choice, Emma."

"Bullshit!"

"Truth," he shot back. "You chose to listen to the demon in the dagger. And you took what it offered. And became the Dark Swan. But Emma, I'm here to tell you that you can choose again. You can choose to come back to the Light."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Is that why you came back? What, did Henry send you?"

"No. My own conscience sent me." Bae replied. "I'm here to remind you that one bad choice doesn't define you. You can still reject the Dark One, give up the dark magic, and be welcomed back by your family."

"My family! The heroic Charmings, always helping other people, everybody's friend. Except for me," she sneered.

"Henry always accepted you. He misses you."

"Well, I don't miss him! He's a coward—like his dad and grandpa. He betrayed me and Regina."

"He's a child who you two were ignoring in favor of your men!" Bae growled. "I know! I saw! You hurt him, Emma. And that's not like you."

For an instant she looked guilty. But a few seconds later a hard light came into her eyes, turning them frosty. "He made his choice. And I made mine. Soon I will have a son who will never betray me. A son who is perfect and who knows what it is to love his mother."

"Emma, listen to yourself. Henry loves you. He wants you back. And there is no such thing as perfect."

"No, because he hasn't been born yet," the Dark Swan declared.

"Please, Emma. Try and remember who you used to be. Remember that convenience store where I picked up the swan keychain?"

"That old thing? I melted it," she said coldly.

"Remember Tallahassee?" he pressed.

"A fool's dream. I don't need dreams. I have everything I ever wanted now."

"No. You have a lie. The demon lies, Emma. It's what it does. Listen to what you're saying. You'd abandon our son for some construct of evil? An abomination?"

Emma's eyes blazed. "Get out, Neal!" she shouted, and thrust her hands out. Purple sparks shot out and struck the dreamcatcher, causing it to burn.

Sensing he had done all he could, Bae withdrew from the dreamcatcher, his heart heavy.

Emma watched as the dreamcatcher burned. "Good," she said aloud. "I'm finally free of all your carping and rules."

Then she dusted the black ash off the comforter and smiled evilly. "Someday my son will meet your son, Neal Cassidy. Then we'll see who's an abomination!"

"I failed," Bae sighed heavily, allowing Auriel's gentle hand upon his shoulder to pull him away from Storybrooke, the putrid stench of darkness on that town making even his spirit feel polluted.

"You tried, my heart." Auriel soothed, her green eyes bright with endless compassion. "'Tis not your fault she chose to dwell in shadow."

"Maybe I could try again."

"No. That one time . . . she was without the Dark Queen. Next time, we might not be so lucky. And while I'm not afraid to fight, the wise warrior chooses her battles carefully. And this battle . . . is not ours to claim, Bae."

"It's Neal's," the guardian coughed. "Yet I had hoped . . . she would listen and remember . . ."

The pain in his gaze was palpable.

"She didn't want to remember," Auriel remonstrated. "Like many before her, she prefers the twisted version she created of the truth than the reality. It's not yer fault, Bae. Those who immerse themselves in darkness are always fondest of their own lies. The truth is harsh . . . it is why they cannae bear to acknowledge it. Often there is nothing pleasant about it. Yet the truth would have set her free."

"She didn't want to be set free," he acknowledged. "She wants what the darkness promised her. Refusing to acknowledge that what it wants is to destroy her, to take her over. I wish I could make her see that. Perhaps I ought to haunt her. Pop up all over that monstrosity of a mansion in the mirrors singing annoying songs like "I'm Henry the VIII I Am"."

Auriel snickered. "Ye would too! But somehow I dinna think that would go over well."

"I suppose not," he said glumly.

"Ye did what ye could. We are nae the Creator, dearie, though we bear some o' the Power. There are none so blind as those who willna see." She wrapped her arms about the younger angel, comforting him with her celestial aura.

"I just don't understand . . . how she could abandon Henry . . . Snow and David . . . and her baby brother for . . . for that . . ." Bae murmured, his head against her shoulder. "She was good once . . . she helped me find myself when I was lonely and afraid . . ."

"Ah, Bae. Sometimes . . . those who are highest fall the furthest. Look at the Morningstar, dearie. Emma commits the same sin he did. The sin of pride and arrogance. She assumed-as did her parents—that being a "hero" somehow made her immune to being wrong, to being blind to others faults, she couldna recognize her own pitfalls, no' even when her bairn pointed them out. All she was willing tae see was her own hurt, no' how she had hurt others. Her own selfishness cost her, Bae. She put her own wants and needs, her own pleasure, before her child's. And this is where it has led her."

Auriel rolled her eyes. "Aye, 'tis the old story. Yet ye didna compel her to. After the first curse was broken, why didna she give up the power—become again an ordinary citizen? Why didna she stand for the small folk in that town who hae been brutalized by the Evil Queen and bring her tae justice for her crimes? Because 'twas easier to not do so. Just like 'twas easier tae let your murderer an' Rumple's torturer walk free an' claim it was good and merciful. 'Tis no' mercy to allow evil tae run free an' harm again. That is the thing all the 'heroes' in that town dinna understand. Forgiveness is divine, but it doesna mean forgetting and no' allowing justice for what's been and done. An' without true remorse an' atonement, there can be no redemption. And only by seeing the truth of yer own sin an' acknowledging yer part in it can ye ever be truly redeemed. Blaming others gets ye nowhere but snared in lies."

"Regina did that."

"Aye, an' still does. 'Tis why she followed the Dark One's whispering. Because it told her what she wished tae hear—not what she didna. An' the same was true for Emma. That she was wrong. That love wasna getting what ye wanted—but what ye needed. And it doesna always come wrapped fancy. Love is sacrifice. It gives an' no demands. But it always—always tells the truth."

"The truth is Emma was never a Savior. She was just a woman with magic," Bae murmured. "A woman who was enabled to break a curse. That's all. She wasn't some pure good vessel either—she was born with dark and light like all mortals."

"Aye. An' a part o' her liked the pretty package the freebooter came in. Liked it so much she ignored wha' else came wi' it. Until she fooled herself intae thinking it didna matter. Only she forgot that ye sacrificed yerself for love, an' Jones sacrificed nothing for his own pleasure, even though he said he did. An' he taught her what mattered most was her own needs. He mattered above all—her family, her child, her responsibility to justice and protection. If that were nae so—he'd o' been rottin' in jail the day he shot Belle in the back, no' grinnin' smarmy an' whinin' about hospital food an' wanderin' about. She knew the truth o' what the bounder was long before. But because he gave her a pretty smile an' some fake sorrow, she allowed it to override her common sense."

"She's done it again with Regina."

"Aye," Auriel sighed. "But 'tis no' yer problem any longer, Bae. The choices she makes and the consequences are her own. Now come away wi' me, my heart. Let us fly through the gardens, and let the peace o' the Blessed Realm heal ye."

"Yes. And you as well," he murmured, then lifted his head and kissed her. "Auriel . . . is this . . . permissible? We're angels . . ."

"Aye. But true love is never wrong, Bae. Not between us, or mortals. It's the truest expression of the divine."

Her kiss was like magic, pure and pristine like a cold Highland stream, yet passionate as the fire upon the hearth, warming and sheltering and driving away the cruel words and shadowy corruption.

He reveled in it, allowing it to mend his spirit, and together they soared into the celestial vault of the sky.

Emma had rejected his attempt to make her remember what she had once been. She had made her choice. As he had made his, when he had chosen to die in order to enable his papa and others to defeat a wicked witch.

After his sojourn with Auriel, Bae went to speak with Cas, telling the elder angel, whom Auriel called Cas the Canny, about what he had tried to do with Emma. He half expected the other angel to scold him about interfering, but all Cas said was, "And did you learn something from it?"

"Umm . . . yeah. That Emma seems to not want to come back."

The elder angel nodded. "Sometimes the burdens and responsibilities of being one of the good guys are too much for some. And they fall for the promises of an easy way out with no price to pay—or ones they get others to pay for them. You and I both know that when you love someone you sacrifice for them, you don't sacrifice someone else in your place."

"Then there's no hope for her?"

"Well, that depends. On what she does with the darkness. The more evil deeds she does, the more it will take her over. And the harder it will be for her to ever return to the light. But I'm not going to fault you for trying. I tried too, once upon a time, with the first Dark One, you know. Before I forged the dagger."

"You did?"

"Yes. Or didn't anyone ever tell you that Nimue, as the mortals call her, was once an angel like me? An angel who sided with Lucifer and fell. An angel I thought I could save . . . but I was mistaken. She chose, Bae, to allow the darkness a home within her. And even when I pleaded and fought, she refused to understand that she had damned herself. She hated me for forging the dagger, but I knew it was the only way to keep some kind of check on her—keep her from slaughtering too many innocents."

"You loved her," Bae stated boldly.

He nodded. "Once. But not everyone who loves the darkness succeeds in bringing their love back. Redemption must be wanted and earned, it is never just given out like candy. And sometimes the road to redemption is longer and harder than the fall. It's why so few demons attempt it."

"Am I allowed to tell my family about this visit?"

"Your father and son, do you mean?" Cas clarified. "Yes."

He leaned on the desk in his office, which reminded Bae of a military officer's, all spit and polished.

"Thank you, sir," Bae said respectfully. "It'll be hard though, to tell my boy . . ."

"I know. But the truth is one lesson that can never be softened," Cas agreed. "And best he find out now from you, rather than later."

Bae sighed. "You're right." Then he willed himself back to New York.

He appeared at his father's house first. Rumple was in his office working on his closing arguments for a case he'd taken pro-bono, championing a young woman in a wrongful termination suit. She'd been a victim of sexual harassment by a male supervisor, terminated from her job when she came forward with evidence of the harassment, her superiors citing poor job performance as the reason for her termination when she'd been praised previously.

"Bae," Robert put down his pen and smiled at his son. "What's wrong?"

"I've been to see Emma."

Robert's eyes widened. "Are ye mad, lad! Why?"

"I had to! For Henry…and for me. I had to try to help her…one more time. You know I loved her."

Robert sighed deeply. "I know, son. What did you say to her?"

"I reminded her who she was, who she was meant to be but Papa, the woman in that room isn't the one I knew. She's letting the darkness take over and believes Regina loves her. They're still determined to have their child."

"And they will," Robert said gravely.

"It's gonna be hard to tell Henry."

"He has to know. We can't risk him trying to go to them himself."

"That's why I went first. Auriel warned me it wouldn't go well."

"Auriel?" Robert's eyebrow arched.

"Yeah..ummm….she's a Guardian like me and ahhh…"

"Oh, I see!" Robert chuckled. "And when am I gonna meet this lass of yours, Bae?"

"Soon I hope."

"Who is she?"

Robert nodded his head in approval as he listened to his son's description of the beautiful angel that caught his eye, the kind of woman he would have wanted Bae to marry were he still living. "Well you make sure you bring her one of these days. We want to see her. The last thing I wanted was for you to be alone on the other side, Bae. This wasn't the fresh start I planned on making with you when I died but I'll take what I can get. Your superior….he won't give you any trouble over it will he?"

"No. It's like Auriel said….the truest expression of the divine."

"I still want to meet this lass of yours. I'll invite Henry Archie and Jeanna over and we'll all have dinner. Kat willna mind. She'll have enough food for an army of angels!"

"Papa, will you go with me when I talk to Henry?"

He scribbled a note on his legal pad and sent it to Kat in her own office, not wanting to disturb her while she was working on her new novel. Seconds later a reply appeared on his desk.

 _I'll have dinner ready when you get back, caro._

Bae was grateful for his father's support when he visited Henry, his son had always been such an optimistic child but the events in the last four years changed him. He was now forced to look at the world through different eyes, the eyes of a child that was being forced to grow up too soon. When they arrived Henry was in the living room with Jeanna and Archie, Archie was helping his adopted son with his homework.

"Dad!" Henry cried and nearly tackled his father.

"Whoa! Slow down kid! You nearly put me through the floor!"

"Sorry. I'm just glad to see you. You've been gone awhile."

"I've only been gone three days!" he chuckled.

"Well it felt like forever!" his son protested.

"And he's been moody ever since," Archie spoke up.

"I have not!"

"Ummm…gotta agree with Doc on that one," Jeanna said from the sofa.

"Okay, maybe just a little," Henry said sheepishly.

"There's a few things I need to talk to you guys about."

"And I hope you don't have any dinner plans tonight," Robert added.

"Not really. Neither of us felt like cooking so we were just going to order out. What's going on?"

Bae joined his son on the sofa. "I went to see Emma…."

"Are you nuts, ghost boy!?" Jeanna demanded. "You're lucky she didn't make angel roast outta you!"

"I had to do it….for Henry…and for me."

"I wanted to try to go to her too Dad, to see if maybe there was a chance. I know we'll never get Regina back but I hoped at least SHE would remember!" Henry cried.

"What did you say to her, Bae?" Archie asked.

"I tried every possible way to reach her but she's become like Regina, blaming everyone else for downfall, not wanting to take responsibility for her own actions and every dark deed she does from this point on will destroy what's left of her humanity, if there is any left at all." He summoned a dreamcatcher and waved his hand over it, replaying the conversation he had with Emma.

"I'm NOT a coward!" Henry seethed. "You are Mom. YOU ARE! You took the easy way out instead of fighting for yourself and for us!"

"Henry," Archie put his arm around his son's shoulders.

"She could've beaten it had she tried, Archie."

"Bae, you're certain there's no chance…?"

"She doesn't want to admit it but I knew her better than anyone. But Cas told me that not everyone who loves the darkness succeeds in bringing their love back. He should know. His love was Nimue, the first Dark One and he couldn't save her…all he could do was try to contain the darkness within her. I knew sooner or later you would risk yourself trying to reach her Henry, that's why I went instead. She would've killed you….that's what the darkness does best, tries to destroy the light and you're one of the strongest sources of it…you, Neal, and my sister. The hardest task is gonna be Neal's but you have to help prepare him for it."

"Is she carryin' her demonspawn yet?" Jenna cringed.

Bae shook his head.

"She may not even be the one to carry it, Regina may do it. Years ago, Regina took a potion to render her barren, she claimed it was so that she would never have a child her mother could control but what my former apprentice refused to admit was that she chose many of her own paths because at her core she was as ruthless as the woman who spawned her." Robert said bitterly.

"But all magic comes with a price, Grandpa. What will theirs be?"

"It's hard to say, Henry. It depends on the spell they use. I still own many volumes dedicated to dark magic but only for research. The more complex the spell, the harsher the price."

He grimaced. "That's the difference between us. I took the curse to protect and save my child. But both of them did so out of anger, resentment, spite, and a need for power. It's why they fell so far so quickly. No one knows better the seduction of the dark than me. But even at my worst I never did what they are about to. I retained part of my soul despite the possession. But they. . . have allowed the darkness to claim them, and are more dangerous than I was."

"And you also knew that if Belle had a child while you were still the Dark One there was a chance it could be born evil," Bae said. "That's the other reason why you avoided...ahhh relations with her."

"Was that possible, Rumple?' Archie asked.

"Yes. The curse was such that my child would have had a dark mark on its innocent soul. I knew that deep inside, even before Zelena tortured me. But I hoped Belle would break my curse. But the child Emma and Regina have will not be born innocent. It will be a demon from the boughs of hell itself."

"Abomination," whispered Bae harshly.

"Reminds me of that kid in the Omen...born from a jackal," Jeanna muttered.

Bae winced, recalling that the Omen trilogy had been one of Emma's favorites.

"Essentially the child won't be a new soul, but the demon given new form. A vessel capable of more evil than its mothers," Robert shuddered. "Darkness incarnate."

"Yeah and probably good lookin' too so it can fool everybody. Some of the worst assholes I've met were good lookin' on the outside and snakes inside."

Bae coughed and recited, "Out of all the heavenly host, the best and the brightest, the most beautiful, was the Morningstar."

Henry lowered his head. "Once they have him I'm not gonna matter anymore."

"You will always matter, Henry!" Bae interjected. "To me, to all of us."

"I know Dad, but it still hurts."

It was then he felt a lethal anger blossom in him, and he understood how Rumple had felt years before when he confronted Milah and killed her. _Damn you, Emma! How could you hurt him like this?_ He wrapped his arms about his son, his heart breaking for him.

'"Doc, don'cha feel like puttin' on some camo and goin' in there and havin' a witch burning?"

Archie sighed. "I hate seeing him like this...I know the feeling too well."

"Me too," Robert said. "You never forget."

All they could do was give him all the love and support he needed.

Bae concentrated, using his powers to project a measure of his love and the peace he had found within the blessed realm to his son, letting the anger he felt towards Emma slip away. That would only lead to temptation. Instead he used a technique Auriel had shown him and cocooned his son with pure love.

As he did so he hummed a snatch of a lullaby his papa used to sing to him.

Robert smiled wistfully recalling the many nights he'd rocked his son to sleep with the very same lullaby.

Bae looked over at him. _I still remember_ , _Papa,_ he sent. _Even after all these years._

Jeanna lay back on the sofa, her head resting on Archie's shoulder. "That's puttin me to sleep Doc..."

"Tis meant to, dearie," Robert murmured. "It always worked on Bae. Even when he was sick and cranky."

"You gonna sing that to our baby, Doc?" Jeanna asked sleepily.

"Every night," he promised.

"Do you still love her, Dad?" Henry was asking.

"Not anymore, Henry. Not anymore. That's the other reason why I came to see you. I ahhh…I've been seeing someone up there but don't ever think that just because she is part of my life I will ever shut you out of it! I will not make the same mistakes Emma and Regina did. Will you meet her?"

"You're dating another angel? Dad, are you gonna get in trouble for it?"

"No. She's a guardian like me from the Scottish Highlands. Sounds a lot like your grandpa...no, she has a thicker accent than your grandpa."

"Yes I wanna meet her!"

Bae sensed Auriel's presence the moment he arrived at his son's house, watching over him as she always did in case she felt he needed her. "You can show yourself now."

She appeared at his side in her native garb. "Hello lad," she greeted with a smile. "Yer da's been talkin so much about ye that I was curious to see se ye for myself." She held out her hand. "My name is Auriel up there but I was born Audra Campbell of Clan Campbell."

Henry smiled. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Henry."

Auriel shook it eagerly and then to the young boy's surprise she hugged him. "Dinna ye worry yerself over your da, lad. He's got room in his heart for all of us."

"I'm not worried. I'm just glad he found someone so he's not alone when he can't be with us. Are you really from old Scotland?"

"I am, lad. But I'm in a much happier place now with Bae and my bairns. I've been up there a long time, keepin watch over the bairns of my bairns."

"She's pretty much Cas's right arm," Bae joked.

Robert stepped forward and held put his hand. "Robert Gold, or Rumplestiltskin if ye prefer," he said, slipping back into his country accent.

Auriel shook his hand, smiling. "Ye've got the accent of a Highlander, I woulda be surprised if somehow ye were from there. Ye've done well for yerself, Rumple and now yer lad can stop fretting!"

"Oh I do not!"

"Ye do too!" Auriel protested.

Robert chuckled. "Oh I think my lad has his hands full wi' ye!"

"Aye. He does."

"I feel like I just walked onto the set of Braveheart or somethin," Jeanna laughed from the sofa. "Can't understand half of what they're sayin! Can you?" she asked her husband.

"I try," Archie admitted.

Auriel approached the couple and shook Archie's hand first. "Ah ye'll get used to it. Ye must be Henry's adopted da."

"I am. This is my wife, Jeanna."

Auriel winked at the younger woman. "Ye've got a bit 'o Highlander in ye too lass. Dinna ye ken the O'Malleys are an auld Scots-Irish clan?"

"Don't know much about my family, Auriel," Jeanna confessed. "Daddy never talked about 'em."

"Someday remind me tae tell ye about your relatives up there. Wild ones they are."

Robert laughed. "I'm no' surprised given the way she is!"

"I don't call her my Texas Tornado for nothing!" Archie added.

"Now I have tae meet this lass ye married, Rumple."

"Oh Kat will be over the moon tae meet ye. And ye all better be hungry because she's got enough food ready for half of Heaven!"

Henry held his adoptive parents' hands and teleported them over to his grandfather's house while Robert teleported with his son and Auriel. Kat was waiting for them in the dining room when they arrived, her dinner keeping warm and fresh under a preservation spell. The moment she saw Auriel she made the sign of the cross as a show of respect. The angel nodded in approval and shook her hand.

"Yer mum and dad send ye their love, lass."

Kat's eyes welled with tears.

"Are they...happy?"

"Aye. Spoke to them before I came here. They're always watchin' over ye, Kat, and are proud o'ye for what ye've done here with Bae's da. And they can't wait till the wee one is born."

Kat threw her arms around her and burst into tears. "Thank you! Thank you so much. Ever since...I've always wondered..."

"Aye, those left behind always wonder, lass, but we're always here."

Robert put his arm around his wife's shoulders. "Are you all right, mo cridhe?"

"I'm fine," she sniffled. "I hope you all brought your appetites!"

"When don't I!" Bae exclaimed.

"Never," Robert muttered.

"Auriel if you walk away from Kat's table hungry it's gonna be your own fault."

"Oh I was warned by her mum that isna gonna happen!" Auriel joked.

It was a wonderful dinner. Everyone was full of questions for the newest member of their family but Auriel was more than happy to answer them, feeling like she was part of a family for the first time in centuries. Eventually the conversation turned to Bae's confrontation with Emma.

"I'm not surprised she reacted that way," Kat said bitterly. "It's her loss. Still I don't blame you for trying, Bae."

"I've got all the family I need right here," Henry declared proudly.

"Even me, lad?" Auriel asked nervously.

"Even you but if you break my dad's heart..."

"Oh I'd never do that, lad! Never!" she cried passionately.

 _I will no' be like that Emma_ , she thought.

It was always difficult for Bae when it came time for him to leave and now that she had been accepted into his clan, Auriel was struggling with saying goodbye herself.

"You better come with my dad the next time," Henry warned her.

"Ye want me to?"

"Yes."

"I know sometimes lads need alone time with da.."

"Sometimes but you're family now and you can come and see us anytime you want."

"Ye dinna ken how much that means to me, Henry."

He smiled. "I think I do. Goodnight, Auriel."

"Good night, Henry."

She waved goodbye as they faded from sight.

 _Storybrooke_

 _A week later :_

Her elder sister had been good for little else but Zelena's vast library of books on the darkest of magic had proven useful and it was in the oldest of these texts that Regina discovered the spell that would allow her and her Dark Swan to have the child they desperately wanted, one that would never betray them as Henry did. One day he would pay the price for his betrayal…all of them would.

Regina stood before a cauldron in her vault, on the table beside it lay the ingredients she would need to complete the spell. She picked up her dagger and sliced her palm, squeezing her hand, counting to six as her blood dripped into the water. Then she picked up a vial containing blood she'd taken from her mate that morning, counting to six a second time. Then she picked up a clump of hair that had been tied together with a red satin ribbon, blond and ebony strands intertwined and tossed them into the cauldron with the blood.

 _"Six drops of blood from thy mother_

 _Six drops of blood from thy mother_

 _Six locks of hair from thy mother_

 _Six locks of hair from thy mother_

 _Lords of Darkness, this offering we make to thee_

 _A child of our blood, let there be!"_ she chanted.

The cauldron bubbled, forming a black oily substance. She grabbed the silver goblet sitting on the table and dipped it into the cauldron. The concoction tasted terrible and the stench of sulfur lingered in the air but she drank it down, the goblet falling out of her hands as pains she'd never felt before surged through her body. She sank to her knees clutching her belly.

 _"Lords of Darkness this offering I make to thee_

 _A life for a life, let there be!"_

She gripped the edge of the table and pulled herself up, feeling the pains subside as the dark gods accepted her offering. All magic came with a price, even for the Dark Queens but she would pay it for their son to live.

"Emma," she said softly, her eyes filled with tears. It pained her to keep such a secret from the woman she loved and in time she knew her Dark Swan would understand and forgive her.

One week later, on the night of the full moon they summoned the townspeople to the forest, all of them dressed in black hooded cloaks and carrying large red candles. A circle of stones was laid out on the ground with a stake in the center. The people gathered around the circle and kneeled in submission before their mistresses.

"Queens of Darkness, we honor thee," they chanted.

"Tonight we make six offerings of flesh and blood to the dark gods for the coming of our prince!" Emma announced. "Who among you will prove your loyalty to us and give your life for the coming of our prince? Step forward."

No one moved.

"Cowards!" Regina hissed and conjured a fireball, throwing it into the crowd. Her fireball struck the mute Sheriff of Nottingham and he fell to the ground, flailing his arms and legs in silent agony.

"Five more of you miserable sons of bitches better step forward or we'll incinerate you where you stand!" Emma threatened. "Is THIS how you show your loyalty to us, to your prince?" She threw a fireball at three women attempting to flee. "Four down…one more to go," she said with a cold smile. "Nothing is going to stop us from having our prince. Nothing!"

"They're not loyal…but I AM," a man said from the back of the crowd. Regina gestured and threw a group of people across the field, clearing a path for the one that had spoken. He smiled and bowed. "Let me give my life for our prince Your Majesties."

"Are you?" Emma demanded coldly. "Then why did you wait to come forward?"

"I wanted the honor for myself."

"Did you?" Regina sneered and reached into his chest to pull out his heart. She squeezed it tightly. "Are you still willing to die for our prince?"

"Yes!" he cried.

She slammed the heart back into his chest. Emma flicked her wrist and teleported him over to the stake, conjuring a set of ropes to tie him to it. The dark queens approached him with fireballs in their hands.

"Queens of Darkness, Prince of Darkness, I honor thee!" he shouted and closed his eyes. Emma and Regina threw their fireballs at the stake, their victim silent as the flesh burned from his bones.

Regina took Emma's hand and placed it on her belly. "It's done," she said softly.

 _New York:_

Jeanna had just fallen back to sleep after making her third trip to the bathroom that morning when she heard her phone ringing on the nightstand and threw her pillow over her head to drown out the noise.

"Leeme 'lone…" she moaned.

Archie opened the bathroom door and poked his head out, thinking it was his phone ringing but when he recognized his wife's ringtone he wrapped a towel around his waist and grabbed it off the nightstand, glancing down at the display to see Snow's number flashing.

"Doc, tell 'em to leeme 'lone!"

"Go back to sleep, honey," he said softly. "I'll take care of it."

"Good," she muttered.

He stepped out into the hall and closed the bedroom door. "Snow?"

"Hi Archie! Where's Jeanna?"

"Ummm….she didn't get much sleep last night so I'm letting her sleep now. What's wrong?"

"We're throwing a surprise baby shower for her and Kat at the diner tonight but if she's not feeling well…"

"I'll get her there. Don't you worry," he said with a smile. "Did you call Bobby yet?"

"Doing that when we're done here," she assured him.

"Thank you Snow, oh and ummm….are men allowed at this shower?"

She giggled. "Nope! Women only."

"So what are we supposed to be doing then?"

"Oh I'm sure you can come up with something. Talk to you later."

When he went back to the bedroom Jeanna was sitting up in bed.

"Who was on the phone?" she asked.

"Snow…she ahhh…wants you and Kat to go to Granny's for some girls night thing," he lied.

"Been a while since I had one of those. Yeah, I'll go. What're you gonna do?"

"Maybe Bobby will have an idea otherwise I was just going to stay here and watch a movie or read." He leaned down and kissed her. "Get some sleep and I'll see you when I get home."

"Love you Doc," she murmured and lay back down. Moments later she was asleep.

Archie's schedule that day was a short one with only three patients scheduled, the last one due in after lunch and when she called to cancel ten minutes before her appointment he decided to go home early instead of staying and typing his notes into his laptop as he normally did when his last appointment was over, wanting to make certain Jeanna was feeling up to going to the baby shower later that evening. She'd been miserable all week from morning sickness and a lack of sleep and he was hoping that spending a few hours with her friends would lift her spirits.

Jeanna lay in the tub soaking in apple cinnamon bubble bath oil listening to Garth Brooks' In Pieces album. Though she was looking forward to spending a few hours with her girlfriends later at that moment she wanted her husband home but she didn't dare bother him at the office unless it was an emergency.

The moment he walked in the door he smelled the apple cinnamon bath oil she often soaked in and found her relaxing in the tub, listening to 'The Red Strokes' from Garth Brooks' In Pieces album.

"Feeling better?" he asked softly while he massaged her shoulders.

"Ummm hmmm…come on in with me Doc," she said dreamily.

"I have a better idea." He picked her up in his arms. "Why don't we take this somewhere more comfortable?"

"Not gonna hear me arguin," she giggled as he carried her into their bedroom.

"…Kat's gonna love it, dearie!" Robert exclaimed when Snow called him that morning to inform him of her plans.

"Just tell her we're having a girls night, Bobby. You men will have to find something to keep you occupied!"

"Ah, we'll think of something. What time do you want her to be there?"

"Before four. It's from four til six."

"That's fine. Did you call Archie yet?"

"Already done."

"All right we'll see you then."

"Bobby, who was on the phone?" Kat asked from the kitchen doorway. "Well, well, well….someone has just committed a parole violation!"

She cast a come hither spell and drew her husband over to her with a piece of pie in his hands. "What's your defense this time, Counselor?"

"Errr….welll…"

"Tick tock dearie, tick tock," she sang.

"All right, I plead guilty," he said gleefully. "I smelled that delicious pie cooling and I came in here and ate some of it!"

She laughed. "I'm never gonna be able to keep you from sampling the merchandise, am I?"

"You might…for a week if…"

"Oh so you want to make a deal with me eh?"

"I'll stop sampling your chocolate cream pies for a week if you go to the girls night Snow is hosting at Granny's tonight."

"Is that who was on the phone?"

He nodded and took another bite of pie.

Kat grinned. "Well, at least I married a man who appreciates my cooking."

He looked up from licking his lips. "Dearie, the man who doesn't is dead, trust me on that!"

She couldn't help eyeing his tongue as it swept about his mouth, sensuously flickering. "Now I'M hungry . . ." she murmured, then shook her head when he offered her the fork. "But not for pie," she purred.

"Dearie...ummm..I dinna think we should...with the baby..."

"It's okay, sweetheart. The baby will be fine," she reassured him, transfixed as she watched him slowly eating another bite of pie, his mouth moving up and down in the most erotic way, his eyes dreamy, as if he'd just woken from a long winter's nap.

 _Somebody shoot me! I'm getting aroused watching my husband eating a piece of pie!_ she thought, feeling her mouth water.

Watching him eat that chocolate cream pie did things to her insides that should have made her self-combust right there. She fantasized about taking him to bed and feeding him chocolate cream pie .. . and licking the cream off his face . . . so vividly she projected her emotions at him.

He smirked. "Well, if you insist..."

"That's not a request, Counselor," she whispered throatily.

"I didn't think it was." He teleported them into their bedroom.

He gestured again and the rest of the pie appeared on the nightstand. "Now what was that ye were hungry for?"

" _You_ . . . you sexy beast!" she growled, and pulled him over to the bed, then sat on his lap. "Now, caro mio, open wide . .. "

She floated the fork with a small piece of pie into his mouth.

"Mmmm .. . ." he crooned in satisfaction.

Then she followed the pie with a kiss, nearly drowning in the sensations he caused.

 _And that . . . is how you tame a beast,_ she thought in satisfaction as he kissed her back. They would spend the rest of the afternoon indulging her deepest desires, the beast tamed by the beauty that had been willing to love all of him and never stopped fighting for him.

Robert's Cadillac pulled into the parking lot at Granny's ten minutes till four. He leaned across the seat and kissed his wife. "Have a good time."

"You too," she said softly. Robert was taking the men to see a production of Spamalot being performed by a small company in Harlem and they would stop off at a new bakery and coffee shop that was all the rage at the office. It was owned by Jake and Angela Stratmore. Jake was a former partner at Arenberg, Cross, and Whitman who resigned from the firm to help his wife live out her dream of owning her own business. "And make sure you bring me back some of Angela's S'more cookies or you'll be placed on another baking probation," she added with a smirk.

"I won't forget," he chuckled.

"And you better be bringin' me some chocolate cookies, Doc," Jeanna warned her husband.

"I'll stop off at KFC if I forget," he laughed and kissed her.

"Here they come, everybody get ready!" Belle called out, peering through the blinds.

The moment Kat opened the door, the women gathered in a circle holding a banner that read: IT'S A BABY SHOWER!

"Surprise!" they called out.

"You gals put one over on us," Jeanna giggled.

Each mother had her own gift table. Kat's table was draped with a satin Harry Potter table cloth, her card box a cardboard replica of Hogwarts and all the gifts were wrapped with Harry Potter themed paper. Jeanna's table had a cowboy theme, her card box a cardboard barn draped with a burlap tablecloth with ropes and cowboy hats and all her gifts were wrapped with paper featuring the character Jessie from Toy Story 2. Each mother also had her own cake. Kat's was shaped like an open book with Harry Potter's glasses and scarf carefully drawn on the right page in icing and on the left page were the words Welcome Sorceress. It was a chocolate cake with peanut butter icing. The couple was still trying to decide on a name for their child as were Jeanna and Archie. Jeanna's was a marble cake with red and yellow cream cheese icing shaped like Jessie's hat with a figurine of the cowgirl sitting on top of it with the words Baby Cowgirl written on it.

"This is beautiful. Thank you all so much!" Kat dabbed at her eyes with her handkerchief, both women hugging their friends.

"Well you deserve it," Snow said happily.

Granny had two recliners set up in the dining room for the mothers to sit in as guests of honor. Jeanna leaned back in hers and raised the footrest. "Ahhh…feel like I'm at home."

"So what are the boys up to?" Ruby asked. Belle giggled.

"Erik invited them to see his production of Spamalot."

"I didn't know he owned a theater group!" Kat exclaimed.

"Neither did I until a month ago but they did a little performance for me the other night. Your husbands are going to be laughing their backsides off."

"Or peeing themselves," Jeanna snickered.

"Why isn't it on Broadway?" Snow quizzed.

"Oh, I'm still working on him about that," Belle said softly. "And one of these days I am going to get that man on Broadway to play the Phantom. I'm sorry, I loved Michael Crawford's version but Erik knocks it out of the park."

"Well he'll have plenty of people in the audience to support him," Granny spoke up. All the women nodded their heads in approval. "Now I'm sure our mothers are hungry so we made sure we have plenty here for you and the babies to munch on."

There were Reese cups on pretzel sticks labeled "Mini Broomsticks", cups of celery and carrots labeled "Professor Sprout's Veggie Garden", cupcakes with scarves, broomsticks, glasses and wizard hats, a large plastic cauldron holding popcorn labeled "Hufflepuffcorn", mason jars covered with checkered cloths labeled "Cowgirl cookies", Italian club finger sandwiches, antipasto skewers, mini Italian meatballs, pesto marinated chicken skewers with a Romesto sauce. Granny also prepared large meat and cheese trays and vegetable trays, hot dogs wrapped in croissants as well as fried chicken, mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese.

"Everything looks delicious," Kat praised and bit into a meatball. "Oh, this tastes just like my mother's!"

"Bobby gave me your mom's recipe," Granny explained. "Took me a few tries before I could get it right. Had to have him as my taste tester."

She laughed. "That had to have been a trial."

"Oh yeah. Bobby's a pretty harsh food critic," Ruby joked.

"That's because Kat spoils him," Belle teased.

"One of the ways to a man's heart is through his stomach," Kat reminded them.

"Mine does all the cookin' at my house. I'd burn it," Jeanna muttered and bit into a chicken breast. "Tastes just like my KFC! Lemme guess…you had to have Doc try it out?"

"Yes and it took me a few times to get his seal of approval too!"

Next they held the games. Snow passed around Harry Potter themed papers for a baby word scramble with Belle winning first prize for the most words deciphered. The second game was Guess The Mess where each woman was blindfolded, put into pairs and asked to examine a set of diapers to determine what was in them, the clues written on the outsides of the diapers in black marker. Two of the women from Kat's office had the most correct answers. The third game was "What's In Your Purse." The women were blindfolded again and asked to swap purses with Jeanna having the most correct answers.

"Rifled through a lot of purses and bags in my time," she said with a grin.

"Archie will never be able to surprise you with anything. You'll find it!"

"Ehh, he's catchin on to my tricks."

"Same with you, Kat."

"Oh believe me, I've outwitted Bobby a few times," Kat smiled as she bit into a star shaped cookie.

They opened their presents next, both women had been given enough clothing, diapers, and bottles to last their children through the first three months. Ruby set two boxes wrapped in red satin paper on their laps. "Saved the best ones for last. Open 'em up."

They opened their boxes to find maternity negligees inside.

"Don't have to stop feeling sexy just because you're pregnant!" Ruby laughed.

The mothers looked at each other and smirked.

"Whaddya think we were doin before we got here?" Jenna exclaimed.

The women burst into laughter.

" _You English all are buggerfolk_

 _Your mothers all are ruggerfolk_

 _Your army is a bloody joke_

 _You couldn't beat an artichoke_

 _If battle you choose to renew_

 _We'll taunt you 'til you all turn blue_

 _We turn our asses as you part_

 _In your direction we all far... Too!.."_ the cast was singing while a group of men sat in the audience laughing.

"I'm gonna need Depends after this!" David cried.

"Dinna be peeing in my car, Nolan, or ye'll be walkin home!" Robert threatened.

"C'mon Rob, even you think this is funny!"

"It is but I know how to control my bladder," he taunted.

"Never would have imagined you'd produce a comedy, Erik," Archie remarked to the former phantom.

"I've always wanted to do my own production of this show since I went to see it on Broadway. Belle's been after me to try to do a show on Broadway but I'm not quite ready yet."

"And how have things been going between you?" Robert quizzed.

"She's been a blessing to me. I know you had your differences but she's not the same woman you know. We're taking our time."

Robert nodded in approval, seeing a vision of a Phantom of the Opera themed wedding ceremony being conducted in his backyard sometime in the spring or early summer. He turned his head to see Auriel and Bae sitting a few rows back, invisible to all others sipping milkshakes and munching on popcorn while they watched the show, smiling to himself. _We're all getting our happy endings, one day at a time._

A/N: we'd like to thank all of you for your unflinching and unflagging support for us and this story. And there's still more to come, dearies! Hopefully we will get the next chapter up before Christmas!


	16. A Demon From Hell, Angels From Heaven

**~ A Demon From the Boughs of Hell, Angels From the Heavens ~**

For the second time in two years, Belle French would be a bride only this time she would not be getting married late at night by a wishing well with only her father and Archie to stand as witnesses. She was having difficulty deciding where she would hold the wedding until Robert and Kat suggested she and Erik hold the reception at Castello D'Oro.

"Bobby, I don't want you to have to go to all that trouble…."

He held up his hand. "Nonsense, dearie! This is the wedding you should have, not the half-assed affair that was ours. You didn't even have a proper dress. Just some old one hanging in the back of my shop because we rushed into things. The weather was lousy too, requiring you to wear a coat over it. Honestly, who wears a coat and a winter hat to their wedding?"

"And I don't want to be sounding like I am pointing out everything that is wrong with Erik...I want to say my own vows but I don't know what to say! There isn't anything wrong with him but you understand what I mean."

"Think about how he makes you feel. How he gave you a second chance when you least expected it. And concentrate on describing why you love him."

"And I want you to walk me down the aisle...with my father."

"You want ME?" He stammered. "Belle . . ."

"Why wouldn't I? You made me the woman I am now. Before you died, you told me I made you stronger. You made ME stronger...and wiser...by making me take a good hard look at myself when I never wanted to before and made me realize that I was still a child trapped in a woman's body that needed to grow up. Now that I have, why wouldn't I want you to give me away? I never would've met Erik if it wasn't for you."

Her words astonished and pleased him. "Thank you, dearie. I would be happy to do so. But what about your papa? He's not the most forgiving of men. And he's never liked me."

"What did I tell both of you when we first met? No one decides my fate but me...well this is MY wedding and it's MY decision who walks me down the aisle. If he doesn't like it then he can either sit with the guests or not come at all." She sighed. "Papa should take lessons from you on forgiveness. You've forgiven so many people who hurt you including me but he continues to hold on to his hate."

Robert applauded. "Good for you. But he is your family . . . " he sighed. "Perhaps Erik and I could speak with him. Make him see that if he really wants you to be happy he'll put aside his feelings and learn to see that it's not always about him. Especially on your wedding day."

"You should. You always seem to knock sense into the most bullheaded people. Oh and...we are having karaoke at the wedding but you don't need to be telling me to kiss your ass this time," she said with a smirk.

"How did you . . .?" He giggled.

"Ruby showed it to me a while back. You never told me you could sing!" She shook her finger at him. "As payback, I should make you and Erik do a song from Phantom of the Opera!"

"I never considered myself as having talent in that department. But if you want, I think we can arrange a duet," Robert agreed. "You know, Belle, I think a lot of your papa's issues come from him not being able to let go of seeing you as a child he needs to make decisions for. But I think I can help with that. I sort of had that issue when I found Bae again."

"If Papa is even willing to listen. If you don't want to sing something from Phantom of the Opera you can sing something else that you like. I just want everyone to have a wonderful time"

He also thought that Moe suffered from the same stubborn impulsive and preconceived notions about him that his daughter had. And perhaps he needed his priorities rearranged. "I'm sure we will. Erik knows what song would suit me best. This time you'll have a wedding to remember." Then he added curiously, "What did you do with the cup?"

"I still have it. Why?"

"Thought you might have broken it or something."

"I thought about it...but now I keep it to remind me of the person I need to be now...someone willing to keep fighting for the person I love, no matter how difficult it gets." She smiled and pulled a gold chain out from underneath her blouse. "Erik shrunk it down for me with his magic and enchanted it with protection spells."

His eyes twinkled. "It looks lovely as a charm. We did have some good memories together. And you know, the best teacups are chipped."

"I was afraid he would be upset when I told him I still had it because he kept nothing of Christine's but he said I had more fond memories with you than he had with her and I needed to cherish them. Then he enchanted it because he still worries about me when I work late."

"We always worry about those we cherish. I sometimes still send Dove with my car when Kat is late doing a book promotion or writing up a file for me for a case. My new assistant . . . He's not quite up to her standards."

"We were going to wait to tell you...but she has a coauthor on her new book."

"Really, dearie? Who?"

"Bobby, I should smack you. You're supposed to be a knowledgeable man!" she teased.

"Fooled you!" he singsonged. "Did you really think I wouldn't figure out why Kat was suddenly spending hours helping you rearrange your library books and then going out to lunch?"

"I started writing the story myself but I wasn't sure if it was any good so I showed it to her and she liked it and we just took off from there. It utilizes as lot of my mythology studies and of course my experiences living with a wizard."

"With two of them," he smirked. "Am I going to be allowed to read an advance copy?"

"Yes...when it's done. And for my senior thesis...my mother will be shocked at this...but I am doing a rather harsh critique of Her Handsome Hero."

She no longer wanted to be a hero, just a woman doing her best for herself and the man she loved.

"Sometimes the best stories aren't the ones you find in books," he said sagely. "But the ones you live."

"Now...about my wedding again . . . ummm...would you have time to make a dress for me? If not I can get one here in New York."

"You could . . . but it wouldn't suit you half as well," he grinned. Then he snapped his fingers and a sketchpad and a pencil popped up on the table. "Now . . . tell me what you want this to look like, and I will create an original Gold wedding gown to rival any fashion designer out there."

"If you've seen the film version of Phantom of the Opera I'd love to have a gown like the one Emmy Rossum wears when she is singing 'Think of Me.' But I also would like a symbol for Erik and me...maybe a mask for him but I'm not sure what for me...a rose?"

"How about a mask with a rose alongside it? But one that glows with magic?" he suggested.

He sketched rapidly, his clever fingers producing a quick facsimile of the design in his head.

"Oh that sounds wonderful. Now I just have to worry about the decor!"

"The castle can transform the ballroom into any kind of theme you wish," he told her. "You simply have to speak what you wish aloud in either my or Kat's presence and it will comply."

"I'd love to have it look like Erik's music room." She showed him a photograph of the room on her phone. "And I would like all of you to dress as you did in our world. YOU will wear the black dragonscale suit! The sexy leather outfit I call it...and yes Erik knows I call it that. There's an outfit of his that makes me swoon and he will be wearing it on our wedding day."

He chuckled. "All right, dearie, if you insist and you won't be hearing arguments from Kat on that one."

"Not that you'll be wearing it long after the reception."

"Belle!"

"It's the truth, isn't it?"

He coughed nervously. "Yes…well, I'd better get to work on this and smooth things over with your father. Wish me luck."

"You'll be fine," she said confidently.

To say that Moe was unhappy with Belle's decision to have Robert be a part of her wedding was an understatement. Nor was he happy that Erik agreed to it. The three men battled most of the morning and as he often did in the courtroom, Robert was prepared to present his own evidence that Moe was not as saintly as he claimed to be and when he threatened to not attend, it pushed Robert's patience to its breaking point.

"You wanted her married off to a man like Gaston, whom may I remind you, provoked the Ogres into attacking again and you were against her marrying me when I protected her, your village from them, AND Storybrooke from my father. Also do not forget, dearie, that you were willing to send her across the town line into a world she had no knowledge of so that she could forget me! What did ye think would happen to her out there when she wasna prepared for it!? Ye dinna know that's what!"

"Moe, it's time to let go of the past for Belle's sake," Erik added. "This is her choice and it would mean the world to her if you respect her wishes."

The older man scowled. "I never wanted her involved with wizards! Magic brings nothing but trouble."

Erik snorted. "Yet you were quite willing to call upon a wizard to save you from a physical enemy. So rather than paint all magicians with the same brush, I'd say you need to remember that for every trouble magic has brought, it has also rescued you, so the scales balance. Magic is not the root of all your problems—your poor decision making and impulsiveness is. Had you not decided to marry your daughter off to some barbarian knight who looked good but was a lying scoundrel, your kingdom wouldn't have been endangered by ogres. Had you also not attempted to go back on your word to Rumple and sent Gaston to kidnap Belle from the Dark Castle, he wouldn't be a rose in the Enchanted Forest right now."

"I wasn't about to leave my daughter in the hands of a beast!"

"The choice wasn't yours to make!" Erik snapped. "It was Belle's. And she made it and then _you_ made yourself look like a petty cheating conman by doing what you did—both in the Enchanted Forest and in Storybrooke. And the beast treated her far better than you or Gaston ever would have!"

"How would _you_ _know,_ musician? You weren't there!" Moe snapped stubbornly.

"Because Belle told me everything. And Robert corroborated it," Erik growled back. "And then I past viewed everything in a seeing globe. So-thrice confirmed, Sir Maurice!" He crossed his arms over his chest.

His firm no-nonsense tone seemed to take the wind out of the other's sails. Maurice looked chastened.

"Perhaps I . . . was a bit hasty. But Belle is my only child and . . . she has always been too adventurous and impulsive for her own good. Much like her mama was. And I thought . . . I could protect her best by arranging a marriage for her. I didn't want to believe Gaston was really so vile, and I didn't trust the mirror Belle has shown me," he admitted. "It was far easier to believe the Dark One was an evil imp than for me to believe that handsome warrior was worse than that."

"Often the worst sort of evil wears a pleasant and dazzling face," Erik said quietly. "That's one of its most seductive disguises. And the hardest to detect. Not many can see beyond the false beauty to the rotten core beneath. But your daughter is one of them."

"My wife was also. She never liked Gaston," Maurice sighed. He looked over at Rumple. "Okay . . . I'll say it. I was wrong. You aren't a beast, Rumplestiltskin. Just a man who makes mistakes . . . and who happens to have magic. I was wrong to treat you the way I did. Will you forgive a judgmental old idiot?"

Robert nodded, not gloating, since he sensed this was a huge concession on the other's part. "I will. And will you agree to have me escort Belle down the aisle?"

"Yes. It's my daughter's wedding day and she deserves to have everything the way she wishes," the florist conceded. "But I want the father-daughter dance with her."

"Done, dearie!" Robert agreed. Then he stuck out a hand. "Deal struck! And let's have bygones be bygones, shall we?"

Moe clasped his hand firmly. "Agreed, Mr. Gold. And this is a deal I shall honor."

Erik smiled. "I'm glad you've finally seen what we all have, Moe. Now, let's discuss the wedding flowers . . ."

 **Page~*~*~*~Break**

Moe had tears in his eyes as he watched Belle being escorted down the aisle by Rumple, who was wearing his dragonscale suit, as she had requested. They had opted to get married in a small church of no specific denomination in New York, telling the pastor that they were doing a medieval themed wedding, so he wouldn't drop dead of shock at the costumes of the guests and the bridal party.

Belle's gown was a replica of Christine's in Phantom, but also subtly different and unique, as befitted a Gold original. Robert had kept the three layers of the gown, the first was a layer of white satin, the second a crystal organza, and the overlay was a rich ivory Viole. The gown was accented with rhinestone and diamond designs in starbursts and the mask with the magical rose that Robert had suggested. The bodice was in the Victorian style with gold grommets and small pouf sleeves, accented with ivory and pink sparkle organza. The skirt was belled out by crinoline and Belle had ivory satin and gold heels to match. Her flowers were white, pink, and red roses, sprayed with golden glitter, courtesy of her papa. She wore a small tiara that matched on her upswept hair, and her only jewelry was a mask-shaped gold and diamond locket, and diamond earrings.

Erik watched with baited breath as Robert escorted his beloved to him. The former Phantom was wearing a replica of a costume designed from the movie, with the exquisite silk fabric Robert had wove himself, black suit with tailed jacket and crisp pleated white shirt and silk cravat. Erik was wearing a red rose in his lapel and the velvet opera cape swirled about his booted feet. He was not wearing the mask, however, for he no longer needed to hide his identity or his face from the world. He proudly showed the scarred half of his face, smiling with his heart in his eyes at his new bride.

The couple only had eyes for the other, and when they spoke their vows, they were spoken from the heart, each proclaiming the virtues of the other and the love they both felt. For Belle, despite this being her second wedding, she felt as though this was the first real ceremony she had ever had, in the light of day, with all of her friends and family in attendance to celebrate her special day with her, and the man she would share her life with was someone she knew intimately and yet who still had a few secrets left to uncover.

"I, Belle French, promise to always love you, Erik Fantome, all of you, bright and dark, through good times and bad, you will always be my mystery, the phantom who discovered the woman within the librarian and taught her to hear and adore the music of the night. When I first came to New York, I was a stranger in a strange land, yet meeting you has helped me to find my place in this city and especially my place in your heart. I will walk with you beside me forever, and never forsake you, for all the days of my life."

Erik took her hand and bowed over it, in a forgotten courtly gesture before speaking in his deep musical voice. "I Erik Fantome, pledge to always love and honor you, Belle French. You became my light that showed me the way through my own personal darkness, and taught me to love myself again, which was a gift beyond price. That in turn enabled me to love you with my whole heart, without fear of censor. I pledge to you to always be beside you, in good times and bad, in sickness and health, to love you with my whole heart for all the days of my life."

"I now pronounce you husband and wife," proclaimed the pastor. "You may kiss the bride, Erik."

Erik lowered his head and kissed Belle with all of the passion he normally reserved for his music, calling forth a heat that warmed his new bride all the way to her toes.

A rosy tint flushed her cheeks, and Belle wound her arms about her groom and kissed him back, her heart singing an aria of delight. This was at last her true happy ending, and she finally understood what it meant to love every part of her husband, both dark and light.

 **Page~*~*~*~Break**

The ballroom of Castello d'Oro was glittering with light and fragrant with the scent of roses, a place of enchantment and mystery, and a top the musician's platform were some of the finest musicians in the land, come to honor the famous maestro who once was Royal Composer at King Leopold's court. The bride and groom waltzed to a song that was unfamiliar to this land, however it was well known to the guests from New York. But though the music was played by the live orchestra, the actual song was magically spun from a session between Erik and Belle where they sang to each other in his studio a few weeks before the wedding.

 _"Say you'll love me every waking moment,_

 _Turn my head with talk of summertime_

 _Say you need me with you now and always_

 _Promise me all you say is true_

 _That's all I ask of you . . ."_

 _"Let me be your shelter_

 _Let me be your light_

 _You're safe, no one will find you_

 _Your fears are far behind you . . ."_

Their voices filled the ballroom, making the rafters ring with their passionate declaration, and both sang to each other again as they danced across the golden oak floor, their voices merging in a brilliant harmony.

 _"Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime_

 _Say the word and I will follow you_

 _Share each day with me, each night, each morning,_

 _Love me . . . that's all I ask of you."_

By the time the song and the dance had ended, there was not a dry eye in the whole room.

Belle was so moved that she responded the only way she could—she kissed Erik right in the middle of the floor, and caused everyone watching to cheer and applaud the happiness of the new couple.

A beaming Moe then rose to claim his daughter for their traditional dance, and this time they twirled to a sweet tune that Belle recalled dancing to when she turned sixteen and had her first coming out ball.

"You look beautiful, Belle," Moe sniffed emotionally, blinking rapidly. "Just like your mother."

"Do you think so, Papa?"

"I do. And I want to tell you that I'm proud of you for standing up for what you believe in—even when I don't agree with you. You were right about both Rumple and Erik. And you truly deserve to be happy with the man of your choosing."

"I love you, Papa," Belle whispered, dashing a tear from her eye. "You've made me very happy."

"I'll bet you never thought you'd see the day this old fool could admit he was wrong and learn to forget the past."

"Well . . . umm . . ."

Maurice laughed. "But that's because those two young magicians of yours set me straight! And I finally realized something—that the hardest part of being a father wasn't loving your daughter enough to keep her—but loving her enough to let her go when she was grown."

Belle hugged him, overcome.

"There now, don't cry. Or else Erik will hang me out to dry and so will Robert! Besides, I think the two of them have a lovely surprise planned for you, sweetheart," Moe grinned, handing her a handkerchief.

"Knowing them, it's sure to be a good one!" Belle chuckled, dabbing her eyes.

Moe escorted her back to her seat, and after the sumptuous feast, her husband and her ex announced they would like to sing the first karaoke tribute to the bride.

"Now, I don't have half the voice Erik does, but if you'll excuse me a wee bit, I think I can manage a duet," Robert began somewhat self-consciously.

"Don't sell yourself short, my friend," Erik refuted. "You have a great voice—it's simply not been trained like mine. Shall we?" He gestured and the musicians began playing yet another famous tune by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

"This is in honor of Erik's lovely bride, may she always be entranced by—the Music of the Night!" Bobby announced, then he began to sing the first lines.

 _"_ _Night time sharpens, heightens each sensation_

 _Darkness stirs and wakes imagination_

 _Silently the senses abandon their defenses_

 _Slowly, gently night unfurls its splendor_

 _Grasp it, sense it, tremulous and tender_

 _Turn your face away from the garish light of day_

 _Turn your thoughts away from cold unfeeling light_

 _And listen to the music of the night."_

Then Erik joined in on the next stanza, his voice ringing out deeply through the ballroom.

 _"Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams_

 _Purge your thoughts of the life you knew before_

 _Close your eyes let your spirit start to soar_

 _And you'll live as you've never lived before_

 _Softly, deftly, music shall caress you_

 _Hear it, feel it secretly posses you_

 _Open up your mind, let your fantasies unwind_

 _In this darkness that you know you cannot find_

 _The darkness of the music of the night . . ."_

As the song unfolded, both men blended their voices together in a velvet seduction, a symphony of sound that left every woman and man there breathless.

Erik sang and looked directly at Belle, while Robert did the same with Kat, leaving no doubt where each man's heart lay.

After that stunning duet, Henry, Archie, and Jeanna sang a funny country tune together, and then they cut the cake—a towering masterpiece of red velvet and cream cheese frosting shaped like the chandelier in the Paris Opera House.

It was a most magical evening, and more than Belle had ever asked for. And the best was yet to come, when she and Erik retired to the small cottage on the castle grounds which Kat and Snow had turned into a perfect retreat for the newlyweds. She had much to be thankful for—her papa had reconciled with her and with the two most important men in her life, she had married the man of her dreams, and had an unforgettable wedding.

As she waved and blew kisses to her guests on Erik's arm as they vanished in a puff of red smoke to the cottage, Belle hoped fervently that everything would go well for Kat and Robert and Archie and Jeanna with their upcoming births. Then she hoped that someday she too would have a little miracle to look forward to.

 **Page~*~*~*~Break**

Robert thought motherhood made Kat even more beautiful, she seemed to glow from within, like the Mother Goddess, and unlike many women, pregnancy enhanced her, and she was rarely plagued by any symptoms, her body seemed to adjust easily to carrying the baby.

She was happy and not subject to constant mood swings and in good health, eating well and walking with her husband almost every day.

Jeanna, however was not so fortunate. She awoke every morning nauseated, her feet were constantly swollen and her Texas Tornado temper was far worse than it had been before and poor Archie's patience was being tested it to its limits.

"You men have the easy part, stick the peg in the hole...we have to do the rest of the work. Should be like some of those men who have sympathetic symptoms...only worse...make you actually HAVE it!" she ranted.

Still they both knew they'd been given a special gift by having a baby at all and the moment they held their child, they'd realize it was all worth it.

Several weeks later the Hoppers decided to go to Washington DC for Global Citizen Earth Day on the Washington Monument grounds. When they began dating Archie and Jeanna discovered they were both very passionate about protecting the environment and neither had been surprised by it given their upbringings. Robert and Kat were concerned about the family's safety in such a large crowd of people and created bands they could wear to protect them, especially Jeanna now that she was in the final weeks of her pregnancy.

"Dearies, I dinna think it's a good idea for ye to be mingling in large crowds when Jeanna is so close to delivering," Robert argued.

"This is an important event and we wanna be there. Relax, Merlin. No one's gonna hassle me or Doc will whack em with his umbrella or I'll just give 'em a shot in the balls," Jeanna assured him.

"I told her we could go next year after the baby's born but she's insisting on it," Archie spoke up. "I wanted to get seats in the VIP area but she wouldn't let me."

"I don't wanna sit with a group of snobs. We're gonna sit out in the lawn like everybody else. Long as I can hear what's goin' on, I'm fine. And we're leavin' early enough that we can get a good spot."

"Henry, you keep an eye on things," Robert advised.

"I will, Grandpa."

Later that night they packed the truck with everything they would need for the trip and drove off to Washington DC. There were already people there getting their own spots set up and while Henry and Archie were putting their blanket down, Henry cast an enchantment over it that would make the side Jeanna was sitting on more comfortable for her and the baby.

"I don't really like some of those people they got singin' but I do wanna hear the speakers," she said. "Feel like I'm sittin on a cloud...thank you Henry!"

As the hours passed, more and more people began to arrive but thankfully everyone sitting around them was courteous to them but Archie questioned the motives of some of the attendees, thinking they were only there to hear the musicians, not because they were concerned about the issues being addressed though he kept his opinion to himself. Just before the concert was about to start he heard Jeanna cry out in pain.

"Ooooh Doc...I think I'm in labor!" she moaned.

"What?! Oh no! Not now!" he cried, wondering how the hell he was going to be able to get her out of a crowd of almost three hundred thousand people and to a hospital safely before she delivered. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah...ohhhh God...can we get outta here...I don't wanna have the baby here!"

"I'll go see if I can find a paramedic!" Henry jumped up.

"Hurry Henry!" Archie pleaded. "It's okay Jeanna, it's gonna be okay...let's just do our breathing like we practiced..."

Two of the women sitting beside them moved over to the Hoppers' blanket. One of them handed her a cup of ice and the other poured some water onto a handkerchief and used it to wipe her forehead. "This is your first baby, isn't it?" she asked Archie.

"Yes, it is."

"You're doing fine. Just keep supporting her."

Using his magic, Henry was able to locate a police officer who was acting as security for the event. "Officer, Officer, you gotta come with me...my mom is having a baby!" he panted.

"It's gonna be all right son." While they were walking, the officer started speaking to his dispatcher on the radio and when they got to the spot where Jeanna and Archie were sitting her pains had intensified.

"Better go get the truck, Doc!" she moaned.

"There isn't time Missus Hopper. I'll get you to the hospital," the officer assured her.

Archie put his arm around Jeanna's shoulders and helped her to her feet. The officer escorted the expecting parents and their son through the crowd. It was a long walk for them but the exercise helped keep Jeanna's mind off the pain. The officer turned on his siren and radioed the local hospital to inform them he was transporting a patient in labor.

"Ooohhh...Archie my momma always told me givin birth wasn't easy but damn, I feel like ma guts are bein ripped out!"

"You're doing fine, you're doing fine," Archie chanted. "Officer, how much farther is it?"

"We're almost there, hang on back there."

"Hurry up!" Jeanna pleaded.

The hospital staff was ready for them when they arrived and rushed Jeanna and her nervous husband down to the delivery room while Henry was in the waiting room. He called his grandfather and Kat on his cellphone to let them know Jeanna was in labor.

"We'll fly down there in the morning. We dinna want to risk teleporting with Kat so far along."

"That's okay Grandpa. They said she could be in there for hours."

"...Doc...it's takin too long and I'm gettin tired..." Jeanna moaned. She'd been in labor for three hours without any progress.

"Take a little rest honey," he said softly. "Remember how Doctor Anderson said it would help you with your contractions?"

"Yeah..."

She napped several times between her contractions, still amazed that her husband was being so calm throughout the entire experience when most men wouldn't be and with him holding her hand and whispering words of love and encouragement they brought their daughter into the world.

She had her parents' ginger hair and her mother's green eyes, both of her parents weeping with joy over their little miracle. For months, they'd been unable to decide what to call their child.

"She's an angel...our beautiful little angel," Archie sobbed.

"I wanna call her Angel, Doc. Angel Katherine Hopper."

"It sounds perfect to me!" He leaned over and kissed his wife.

It was only fitting that her middle name be Katherine for it had been the blessing Kat had given them on their wedding day that gave them the chance to have their own child when medical science made it impossible. She would be the only child they would have but it didn't matter. Their family was at last complete.

"You better...go get Henry and tell him his sister wants to meet him," Jeanna said sleepily.

Henry was asleep in the waiting room when his adoptive father came to fetch him. "Henry...wake up...your sister wants to see you."

"Cool! I'm coming!"

While he held his newborn sister in his arms he couldn't help thinking of Emma and Regina and wishing one last time that things could have been different for them. He tried, oh how he tried to reach them only when he took one step forward, they always took two steps back, sinking deeper into their darkness until they forced him to sever his ties with them forever.

 _They made their choice, I made mine...and I don't regret it._

And there was nowhere else he wanted to be at that moment than with his adoptive parents celebrating the birth of his new baby sister. Jeanna handed him his sister. "Her name's Angel Katherine," she announced.

"Hi Angel, I'm your big brother," he murmured. "And you're never gonna have to worry about anybody hurting you because if they try to they're gonna have to deal with ME…and I'll wipe the floor with them!"

"Oh Lord I pity the guys that are gonna come knockin," Jeanna laughed.

"Yeah well that's when you'll see ME dressed in camo holding a shotgun and telling them that if they dare try anything on MY daughter their backsides will be mounted on my wall!" Archie growled.

"Ooh listen to that, Angel honey. Your daddy's now officially a cowboy!"

"I will be when it comes to protecting my daughter."

"Archie, Grandpa said he'd be here in the morning."

"That's fine, Henry. I'm sure the others will be dropping in too," he chuckled.

The proud father took several pictures on his phone and sent them to all their friends with the following caption: _Our Little Cowgirl: Angel Katherine Hopper!_

The teenager checked to make certain no one was looking and waved his hands over his sleeping sister.

 _"A mirror into men's souls I give to thee_

 _Their true selves you shall always see!"_ he chanted and slumped against the wall.

"Henry, what did you do?" Jeanna asked him.

"M…Made her always be able to tell what a person is really like…by seeing into their souls," he murmured. "To keep her safe…"

"You're going to get in trouble with your grandfather for casting a spell like that without his permission," his adoptive father warned.

"G…Got his permission while Jeanna…was in labor….but…he warned me it was gonna drain me."

Archie put his arm around Henry's shoulders and helped him sit down.

Unseen from the Blessed Realms, Auriel nudged Bae, smiling knowingly. "Aye, now he's YOUR son, Baelfire! If ye had the Gift, ye woulda done the same."

"Guilty, my bonny Scottish angel," Bae admitted. "And Papa would've had my hide but it would have been worth it."

"Aye for the worst evil always wears a mask," Auriel agreed. She summoned a seeing globe and gazed into it, frowning. "The woman in danger from the darkspawn is not in this world."

"What world is she in?" Bae asked, alarmed. Though they could travel to other realms, their powers as celestial guardians were limited in some of them.

"The majestic queen of the OZ . . . had two lovely daughters she...one to darkness she be drawn...one to light...she be shown..." she murmured. She opened her eyes. "She is a descendant of Dorothy Gale herself and named for her." She handed him the seeing globe. "A child born in the light but awakened a darkness that possessed her sister. And if the darkspawn finds her he will awaken the darkness within her and they will unleash their beast on all the realms."

 _Storybrooke_

 _Months later:_

The Queens of Darkness stood out on the patio of their new palace admiring the empire they'd created for themselves, an empire their precious child would one day inherit. Their subjects at last understood that resistance to their rule was futile and now followed every command issued by their mistresses without complaint. The last of the Undesirables, the Blue Fairy and her insect ilk, had fled leaving no more unwanted light mages in the town and the Queens had at last discovered their means of escape and sealed it off. Anyone else who attempted to leave would be destroyed.

Emma turned to her partner, her lover, and placed her hand on her distended belly. Regina was in the final weeks of her pregnancy and even more beautiful in her mate's eyes. The two women could not wait for the day when they would hold their prince in their arms, a child created with the darkest magic and like all magic, there was a price that needed to be paid.

Emma took her queen in her arms and kissed her. "I can't wait for the day when we finally hold our son...our Damien..." she whispered.

For weeks, the women discussed what would be the perfect name for the perfect child and it had been Emma who suggested they name their son Damien after the famous child of darkness from the cinema, a boy that would grow into a man to be feared and loved, but he would never love in return.

"Damien Swan Mills," Regina murmured.

In the town square a new statue was being erected in the image of their son as a grown man with Regina's raven black hair and Emma's blue eyes. He would be a handsome man that many women would love and serve but only one of them would be chosen to carry on the Dark One legacy by giving birth to another darkling child. It would be a halfling but under its grandmothers' tutelage it would ascend to greatness as its father did.

Emma raised her eyes to the sky. "We must find the boy before his mate is born. Without her he is nothing more than a second rate apprentice. That imp and his whore's spell can't hold forever."

"We can try again, Emma."

"I can't have you using too much magic this late in your pregnancy."

"I can handle it," Regina assured her. "Anyone who threatens our son needs to be destroyed and we must destroy this light child while it still slumbers in the womb. Once we cross the barrier we can harness the magic from this world and use it to expand our empire. We can rule this whole world together!"

Emma laughed wickedly. "Your determination...that is what I have always loved about you, Regina. If the world is what you want, the world is what you'll get." She waved her hand and teleported them back to their bedroom. "But not tonight." She kissed her again. "Once our baby is born I intend to make up for many lost nights, my queen."

"I look forward to it."

 _Castello d'Oro_

 _The Enchanted Forest:_

"The stars are aligning and the darkling will be born...but there will be a price to be paid as there always is with dark magic," Robert said softly as he and Kat sat outside in the gardens. His hand rested on her belly. She was also expected to deliver in a few weeks and the couple was still deciding whether to have the baby in New York or the Enchanted Forest.

"What do you think it will be, Bobby?"

"I don't know...but whatever it is, I don't think Emma and Regina will be prepared for it and I fear the townspeople will suffer as they never have before when it comes."

"Thank God many of them were able to escape but the ones who stayed behind..."

"Now it seems the town is populated with dark souls like the ones who rule it according to Blue. Anyone with even the slightest trace of the light in them was executed...even children." Robert cringed as he said this. When he was the Dark One, he had enough goodness in him that he would never harm a child. It was why he'd been able to resist Zelena's command to attack Roland but he had terrified him.

Kat cradled her belly protectively. "No one will ever hurt our child...I'll incinerate them!" she snarled.

Robert also had concerns that the Dark Queens would attempt to bypass their wards and come for them. He was well prepared for a battle but he could not have Kat using too much magic since it ran the risk of harming the baby. All expecting mages were advised not to use it unless absolutely necessary and travel with another mage as a protector if trouble arose and the Blue Fairy, once Robert's bitter enemy, was now one of the fiercest protectors of the Children of Light.

She and her fellow fairies now ran a convent in Manhattan but they also assisted the two expectant mothers in their close-knit circle as did Belle and Snow.

The Golds found it oddly comforting that it had taken the fall of the Savior for everyone in Storybrooke to finally understand that Robert was not as dark as everyone believed him to be for even he had lines he would never cross. Unlike him, Emma had the darkness within her from birth and try as her parents might, there had been no escaping her dark destiny.

"Rumplestiltskin, are you certain your wards on the town will hold? The Dark Ones will be desperate to destroy any threats to their child and may attempt to cross," Blue said.

"They can try, dearie, but there will be a price as there will be a price for the dark magic they used to create this child. I can't see what it will be."

And if either of them threatened his family or his friends he was not afraid to unleash hell on them.

For that was the thing about being a light practitioner that most of them didn't realize. While they were forbidden to use their magic for selfish purposes or for pure vengeance's sake, that did not mean they were sitting ducks and forbidden to protect themselves or others. If threatened, a Light mage could and had killed whatever came against them, as they saw fit, and not paid the price of vengeance. Only the cost of spellcasting. The Guardians of the Light were not pushovers, as might at first be seemed. They were warriors also and they could kick ass and take names when warranted.

"This world outside the town line, it's strange but I'm getting used to it," Blue confessed.

"We all had a difficult time adjusting but the sacrifice needed to be made for our well being," Robert reminded her.

Later that night Robert and Kat were awakened by roaring thunder and a bolt of lightning struck their bedroom window, shattering the beautiful stained glass Robert had made for her. Outside, thick black clouds circled the castle and crimson raindrops splashed onto to the stone and brick.

Kat pressed one hand to her heart while the other caressed her abdomen. "It's all right, darling. They can't harm you."

"The darkling is being born," Robert said solemnly.

"The price...Robert...for one to live another must die..." Kat murmured.

 _Storybrooke :_

"You won't keep us trapped here forever, you twisted imp! I'll break your damned spell!" Regina stretched out her hands and blasted the barrier at the town line with all her strength as Emma materialized behind her. She was alarmed the moment she awoke from her slumber to find that her wife was missing.

"Regina! Stop!" she pleaded. "Let me!"

"I can do this...I...ohhhhhh!" The queen screamed as sharp pains in her abdomen brought her to her knees. "Emma...darling...he's coming...our baby is coming!" she cried joyfully.

Emma took her hand and the two of them returned to the mansion. There would be no doctor or midwife to assist them...they didn't trust anyone in the town and suspected one of them would attempt to harm their prince, not that they would even survive long enough to boast about it. The younger queen smiled at her wife and waved her hand over her, transforming her black leather gown into a lace and satin negligee, the same one she'd given her on their wedding night.

The pain was unlike any Regina had ever experienced before but the Evil Queen learned long ago how to use pain as strength rather than a weakness, relishing the misery she inflicted on others.

They had used the darkest of magic to create this child and as with all dark magic, the price had to be paid or a great calamity would befall them.

Emma sat beside her precious queen holding her hand and wiping the sweat from her brow as the pains increased. A table full of instruments appeared at the side of the bed. Emma was hoping she would not have to use them but both knew through the books they read that sometimes there were complications during a birth and birthing a magical child was much more difficult.

The residents of Storybrooke were gripped with fear as they gazed up at the sky, the sun concealed by black clouds, believing that God himself mourned this day as tears of blood rained down on them. Many of them crossed themselves and prayed, wishing they had been smart enough to heed the warnings of those who left. Now there would be no escape for them.

"Emma...help me...it's almost time now..." Regina said weakly.

 _Castello d'Oro:_

Snow and David, who were staying at the castle with them so that they could be near their son, had also been awakened by the terrible storm as had little Neal. Snow sat in the rocking chair in her son's nursery cradling him in her arms.

"Booms...black...sky...bad baby...!" he cried.

"Snow, what's he trying to say?" David asked, puzzled.

Snow frowned. "We'll have to ask Rumple to be sure but I think he knows Emma and Regina's child is coming."

"Light cry..." Neal murmured. "Bad...baby...mama...die..."

"What?" they gasped.

"Price, Mama...price...bad baby...live...mama die."

Kat and Robert walked into the room, both sensing their foster son's anxiety.

"Rumple, Neal's acting strange," David said worriedly.

"Kat Kat...bad baby come...mama die . . ." Neal said to her.

"I know sweetie...I know," she said softly and gently stroked his forehead. "But he's not going to hurt you or our child. We'll make certain of that."

"What is he saying?" David demanded.

"Emma and Regina used the darkest of magic to create their child and today they will pay the price...one of them will die," Kat declared. "A life for a life, for that is often the price with dark magic or sacrificing what you love most."

"Emma is going to die?" Snow cried. "No! She can't! There has to be a way. There has to be a way we can still save her. I CANNOT LOSE MY DAUGHTER AGAIN!"

"She may already be lost, dearie," Robert said gently. "You know what she and Regina have done and it is far worse than anything I ever did as the Dark One. Every sin she commits turns her heart darker and darker until there is not a trace of humanity left. When that happens...her only salvation will be in death."

Snow burst into tears. "David...our little girl..."

He wrapped his arms around her. "It can't happen...it can't..."

"Emma...not die...Emma lost . . . I save Emma. . . . 'lieve Mama," Neal said.

Everyone in the room had faith in the child they now knew was the Savior but they feared even he could not save his sister if she didn't want to be and would be left no other choice but to destroy her and the darkness within her.

 _Storybrooke:_

"Push my queen! That's it...one more...just one more...oh you're doing wonderfully!" Emma cried. She could see their son's head and as they wished him to, he had Regina's beautiful dark hair. The sheets and blankets were soaked with blood, the birthing mother's strength decreasing with every moment that ticked by but she refused to surrender to the exhaustion that threatened to overtake her. She grunted and pushed again and moments later Emma held their son in her arms weeping with joy.

"Look at him! Look at our prince!" she sobbed, holding the baby up after she cut the umbilical cord. "Regina, he's perfect! Just perfect! Our Damian!"

Regina lay back against the pillows, panting heavily. Emma placed the baby in her arms and a pair of sapphire blue eyes like Emma's stared back at her. "You are our perfect little prince," she murmured weakly. "And you...you are my heart, Emma..."

Emma leaned down and kissed her softly. "You are mine, my queen."

"I'm dying, Emma..."

"No...NO! You can't...you're just tired! That's it! You're tired. Once you rest..."

Regina laughed through her tears. "My Emma...you were always the stronger one of us." She kissed their son's cheek. "But this is the only way our son can live."

"NO!"

"All magic comes with a price, beloved," Regina hissed softly. "Even for us . . ."

"No, we're the Dark Queens!" Emma babbled desperately. "We'll get someone else-anyone else-to pay the price for you!"

"There is no other way...I am the one who must pay this price...no one else...and I will...for our son...for you..."

"It won't happen...I'll break that spell on the town line and deliver every child of the Light's hearts to the gods if need be!" Emma snarled.

"That will make no difference . . .I agreed to the price when I cast the spell . . .I never wanted you to know . . ." She gripped Emma's hand with the last of her strength. "You must . . .remember . . tell our son . . . I loved him more than my life . . .to honor the covenant of the dark gods . . .and destroy the Savior Children . . .and remember to light a candle on my birthday . . ."

"I will...Regina. . . I don't want to let you go..." Emma sobbed.

She could feel her queen's strength fading as would part of her own due to the deep bond they shared.

"Have no fear, my queen...I will train our son and together we will extinguish the light and bring this world into a new age of darkness!" She gave her beloved queen one final kiss to remember her by when she closed her eyes for the last time.

The rage built within her as she gazed down at her queen while she held their precious child in her arms, still beautiful even in death.

Damian cried softly and reached out with his small hand, tugging at the bodice of Regina's nightgown.

He latched onto her nipple and to Emma's amazement he began to suckle from her breast, his pale pink lips stained with blood.

"She would give you every last drop in her body to make you grow strong my precious boy...and so would I!"

Emma recalled a fragment of the dark spellbook that they had used to bring her prince into being. "And the child of the dark shall nourish itself upon the milk of blood and sorrow."

And that night she had plenty of milk to give him through her grief of her beloved queen...but she would not suffer alone. No, all of Storybrooke would suffer with her.

Their son fed from Regina until he'd taken every last drop left in her body. Later that night her grieving wife built a funeral pyre for her queen in the back lawn.

She dressed her beloved queen in one of her favorite black leather gowns and placed her atop of the pyre...there was no need for a crown. Everyone knew Regina was a queen without one. Mother and son wept openly as the flames engulfed the body of the woman once known as Regina Mills.

"Your time will come, Damien, and you will do us proud," she whispered.

 _Castello d'Oro:_

Robert waved his hand and the image in the mirror in Snow's bedroom vanished. "A dementor...I should have known."

"Emma's child is a vampire..." David whispered, horrified since the child was also his grandson.

"That and a dementor...they are the most evil of beings," Robert said.

"Bad baby!" Neal yelled, pointing at the mirror.

"They didn't know we could see them...could they?" Snow asked fearfully.

"No, not in their weakened conditions," Kat answered.

"He's like the dementors in Harry Potter, isn't he?"

"I'm afraid so Snow, only it is sorrow it feeds on, not happiness," Robert clarified.

"The child is also part wraith, Bobby," Kat added.

"What! You mean it can suck out souls like the one you summoned to suck out Regina's?" David asked Robert.

"In a way. Not being a full wraith, it can't feed on souls, but he can take energy from someone," Kat corrected gravely. "And weaken them."

Snow was horrified. "David, our grandson is a . . .psychic vampire!"

"Just call him a darkling, dearie, for that's what he is," Rumple advised.

The child would not be at full strength until the next total lunar eclipse which would not occur until the following century.

"Emma...what have you done?" Snow sobbed.

"Okay, Mama...I save Emma...bad baby go away!"

Kat had been feeling odd twinges in her lower back ever since she had awoken because of the storm. Then observing the darkling and its mothers in the mirror had made her tense and upset. She idly rubbed her lower back, when a sudden ripple and cramping struck her.

"Oh!" Her eyes widened. "Rob . . . I think I'm in labor!" she gasped.

"Are you sure, sweetheart?"

"When a woman tells you she is in labor, she's in labor," Snow said firmly.

Kat paused . . . and assessed her body with her magic. She could feel the child within her shifting into position and her uterus rippling as it made ready to release the fetus. "Yes . . . I can feel it . . .it's like a pressure . . ." The pains were flowing one into the other, and she swayed on her feet, her empathic senses linking with her unborn child. "Our baby is ready to be born," she announced in awe.

"We'd better summon the midwife and call the others...they'll want to know," David said.

The mirror on the wall shimmered, revealing Henry and the Hoppers at their campsite. "Kat's in labor!" he announced.

"That's wonderful, Rumple...but how can we get there?" Archie asked.

"I'll go get the midwife!" David jumped out of his chair. "You got a horse I can borrow?"

"In the stable...she's right down the hill... be careful but hurry, Charming! Come on sweetheart, let's get you to bed," He placed his arm around Kat's shoulders. "Archie...ask Henry to use that charm I made him and you can cross over through the mirror."

The wall length mirrors in each of their bedrooms had been given to them by Erik as a gift.

Kat smiled at her husband. "Now don't worry, cara mia. I'll be fine. And so will you." She placed a hand on her rippling abdomen. "And so will our baby, right sweet thing?"

She breathed slowly and rhythmically.

"YOU'RE telling ME not to worry?!" Robert gasped. "Shouldn't it be the other way around?"

"No. Because I know you, Mr. Gold."

"Aye dearie, but I have no idea what to do...I've seen sheep give birth but no' a woman!"

"Then pretend I'm a sheep, my bonnie mage," Kat returned saucily. Then she gripped his hand tight. "My, that was a big one!"

"Are ye mad! I canna think o' ye as a sheep!"

"In this . . .all mammals are alike . . ." Kat panted. They had reached their room, but the laboring mage whispered, "No . . . not yet, Rumple . . . . we have to walk . . .my water's not broken . . ."

"Shouldn't ye be lying down?"

Kat shook her head. "It's easier on me . . . standing up and moving . . .you've seen how sheep pace to and fro . . and horses and dogs . . .they only lie down when they're ready to push . . ." Sweat stood on her brow.

"Yes, well...as soon as you're ready you're going to bed!"

"Come on Kat...maybe you should walk with me a bit before Rumple passes out," Snow offered.

"Don't be frightened . . . I'm not . . ." his wife remarked, then sent a wave of love and fortitude down their bond. "Let's walk across the hall, Snow."

"Now go sit down, Rumple. This is womens' work!" Snow giggled.

"Will ye be all right?" he asked his wife nervously.

"Yes, darling. The baby will be awhile yet. This isn't like the movies," Kat chuckled.

"I wish it were," Snow said. "I was in labor for hours both times."

"I think I was in labor while I was sleeping," Kat realized. "And it was that and not just the storm which woke me."

Rumple longed to pace up and down, but he forced himself to sit down at the spinning wheel in his room and slowly spin some silk into silver while praying that his wife had an easy birth and both she and his child were healthy.

Kat and Snow completed three circuits of the long hallway before Robert realized he was still in his pajamas and he jumped up and pulled some clothes out of the closet and shoved them on. In his haste he forgot to look at what he was pairing with what, and when he heard Kat moan he ran out into the hallway wearing two mismatched boots, a pair of leather pants, a sun yellow tunic, a screaming fuchsia tie and an Armani jacket.

"What on earth...are you trying to be the Sixth Doctor?" Snow asked.

"What? I'm a sorcerer not a doctor!" he gasped, his floofy hair awry. "Kat, what's wrong?"

His wife took one look at him and busted out laughing. "Oh . . .oh Santa Maria, Bobby . . .ohh . . ." She clutched her sides and giggled.

"I'm getting a shot of this!" Henry exclaimed as he, Archie and Jeanna stepped through the mirror. Jeanna was holding Angel in her arms.

Then Bae appeared in the room laughing hysterically, Auriel at his side.

Rumple put his hands on his hips. "Just what is so funny, Baelfire? Yer mama's here havin' a bairn an' ye're acting loony tunes!" He scowled at his son. "I'm beginning tae think I raised an idjit!"

"You look like a loony tune!"

"Hey! Mind yer manners!" Rumple shook a finger at him. "Before I forget ye're too old and spank ye!"

"Rumple, I really think you should look in the mirror," Archie chuckled.

The sorcerer ran his hand agitatedly through his hair. "Et tu, Arte?" he demanded. "She's havin' a baby, I dinna have time to be worryin' aboot how I look!" Then he looked at his jacket. "What? Does this have a spot? Or a tear?"

"Papa, you're making my eyes tear!" Bae snorted, then he went off into gales of laughter again.

"I think yer da really needs tae look in t'mirror," Auriel giggled.

"Merlin, what's with the getup?" Jeanna asked.

"That husband of mine better hurry up and bring the midwife. Kat, are you ready to lie down?"

"We're coming!" David called out as he strode through the doors with a young woman named Lydia in tow.

"Don't fret sir...we're gonna take good care of Mama and baby."

Kat relaxed long enough for another contraction to ripple through her and then her water broke.

"Oh hells! All over the new Aubusson carpet!" she growled. "You couldn't wait till I was on the flagstones now, dearie?" she asked the baby crossly.

"She sounds like you now, Grandpa!" Henry joked.

"Let's get you in bed, dear." Lydia said softly.

Kat followed her obediently now, feeling the shift in the contractions again. She reached for Robert's hand. "Won't be long now . . . Rainbow Brite Rumple!" she gave him a lopsided smirk.

He rolled his eyes. "Verra funny, mo astor!" he grunted, then he murmured, "Dinna fash yerself, sweetheart. I'm right here and I'm no' goin' anywhere. We made this baby together an' we'll bring it into the world together."

She kissed his hand. "Aye, and so we shall! I love you, Rumplestiltskin Gold."

"I love you too, mo cridhe," he replied. "Now let's welcome this baby into the world."

Little Neal insisted on being in the room for the event...after all this was his future bride's birth.

"Kat Kat I see good baby?" he asked.

Her parents looked at each other and nodded.

Lydia was surprised by how calm the expecting mother was, she was used to other ones screaming their heads off, complaining bitterly about their pain or threatening to chop off a certain part of the male anatomy that got them in such a condition. Once Kat was comfortable in her bed, Lydia took her position at Kat's feet while Robert sat at Kat's side.

"You're doing well honey, very well for a first time birthing." Lydia was concerned there would be complications due to the mother's age. Most women her age were having their fifth or sixth child in this land not their first.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" he asked anxiously. "Is the pain verra bad?"

"Not so much now," the empath remarked. "You being here with me helps." She didn't tell him, but due to her bond with him, she could use his strength and it made the pain of labor much less than it would be otherwise. Two hearts as one, ten times the strength. She could also feel the baby's love for her and it spread through her in a wave of warmth, making her feel as if she were at the center of a great pool of light.

"All right Kat, do not push until I tell you to, understand?"

She held Robert's hand and said, "Here, feel this . . . this is our baby . . ." then she linked with him and allowed him to feel the baby and the love it held for them.

"Wanna see good baby. Kat Kat, where's good baby?" Neal demanded impatiently.

"She's coming, dearie," Robert chuckled. His eyes were teary as he felt the connection between him and his unborn child intensify. "Come to Papa, little dearie," he crooned.

"All right Kat...are you ready? Start pushing now!" Lydia instructed.

Snow stood on the other side of her. "Come on Kat, push!" she chanted.

Kat obeyed, bearing down. She could feel the baby slip from the womb. Almost there, little one! she thought and she pushed again.

Robert could feel her drawing strength from him and he would give her every last bit he had to make her labor easier for her. "Take as much as ye need if ye must, my sweetheart!"

"Again Kat...PUSH!"

"Good baby...I see good baby!" Neal cheered. "Kat Kat good!"

"Trying . . ." she panted.

In a flash of insight, Robert suddenly climbed on the bed behind his wife and half lifted her in his arms, holding her against him. Cocooned in his embrace he whispered. "Third time's the charm, mo cridhe!"

"You're doing fine. Come on, Kat, just one more and you'll be done for now...come on!" Lydia encouraged.

She drew on her husband's strength and added it to his and with one last push, the Gold's daughter was born.

"Tis a girl! A beautiful baby girl!" Lydia announced.

That was followed by the glorious sound of a newborn crying.

She cut the umbilical cord, cleaned her with warm cloths and wrapped her in a blanket her father wove for her and placed her in Kat's arms. "What's her name going to be, honey?"

Names had always been important to her husband and even to her. Every time a relative of hers had a baby they would always consult her on what would be the proper name to give the child. Kat had an assortment of baby name books in her collection that she used for her writing, most of them Celtic and she wanted to give each child a special name.

"Devona...Devona Roberta Gold," Kat answered softly. For Devona had several meanings in Anglo-Saxon, Celtic, and French: protector or divine. They tended to be artists, mystics, scholars and philosophers who excelled in analyzing, learning and understanding. They were often described as introverts and sometimes melancholy but they would also see the larger picture of the issues they faced. Roberta meant a bright fame, but was also the feminine form of her papa's name, to honor the man who had given her life.

"A perfect name, mo cridhe!" Robert murmured. He leaned down and kissed his daughter's forehead, the tears he wept unashamed gently falling onto her small cheeks. The baby opened her eyes and gazed up at him and he could have sworn she was grinning back at him.

"Och, ye're gonna be full of mischief now aren't you, my wee imp?" he giggled.

"How could you doubt it?" Kat laughed.

"Thank you Kat, thank you!" Robert sobbed and kissed his wife. "This is the most precious gift you could have ever given me."

"I had a little help," she murmured.

One of the many regrets he had in the early years of his life was that he hadn't been at home to witness or even assist with Baelfire's birth but from the moment he held his precious boy in his arms, nothing else mattered to him...but his precious boy had been lost to him in a single moment, a moment he spent centuries trying to make amends for. Nothing would ever tear this child from his arms. No, there would never be a time when Devona would be without her father's love and guidance and she would also have a mother who actually put her child first, a luxury Bae hadn't been given.

"She's beautiful, Papa," Bae said through his own tears. He was now in human form.

"Bae, would you like to hold your sister?" Kat inquired softly.

"I don't wanna drop her..."

"You won't. Come on." she urged.

When he approached the bed little Devona seemed to be smiling at him when he reached down to pick her up. A small hand reached out from underneath the blanket and curled around his finger.

"I've been waiting a long time to meet you, little sister," Bae whispered softly. "She's beautiful and I can see both of you in her."

"I dinna ken if I should be worried if she's like me," Robert joked.

"Or like me. Better invest in more hair dye, Papa. I made you gray. She'll make you turn white, won't you, Dev?"

"Dinna encourage her, lad!"

"Isn't that what a big brother is supposed to do? Encourage his baby sister?"

"Oh aye, but not tae be a scamp like ye!"

"Kat, we'll need to deliver the afterbirth now," Lydia informed her.

"What the heck is...oh gross!" Bae moaned, his face pale. Robert, sensing his son was about to faint or vomit, teleported over to him and took Devona from his arms. Bae doubled over and vomited into the large planter of roses in the doorway.

Neal giggled. "Ha ha . . . Bae pukey!"

"You're real funny kid, real funny! This is one of the times when I HATE being in human form . . . Mama, what the heck was that stuff!"

"The placenta...among other things. All mothers have to do that after they've given birth. Didn't you ever see animals being born?"

"No! I always had Papa deal with that!"

Robert carried the baby back to her mother and placed her in Kat's arms again. "Neal, would you like to see her?"

"Dev," he said with a smile. "Dev's a good baby..." He kissed her cheek. "Gonna marry Dev . . . gimme a ring!"

Robert's mouth dropped open. "Lad, she's got to grow up first!"

"Wanna marry her now!"

"You can't yet, honey, but you will when you get older."

"You promise, Kat Kat?"

"I promise, sweetie."

"Kay...I wait."

"We'll leave you two alone," Snow said softly.

The fate of the world would one day be in the hands of this precious little girl and the boy who would stand at her side but for now she was a dream come true for both of her parents and a second chance for her father. Though she would have far more advantages than her older brother did growing up, Robert would raise her to be gracious and generous to those less fortunate than her.

"This world is filled with so much darkness, dearie...and you and Neal can bring back the light and restore hope," he murmured.

Kat placed her hand over his. "A battle that doesn't have to be fought with weapons," she said softly, now understanding how her daughter and Neal would best be able to defeat the dark child that waited for them behind the magical barrier they set up.

For it was the pain and sorrow in this world that would become the dark child's primary food source and by spreading a message of love and hope through the years, the Guardians of the Light would slowly weaken the dark prince until the day when they faced each other on the battlefield.

They knew the barrier would not hold forever and one day the dark prince would be powerful enough to shatter it with the souls of those left behind in Storybrooke to nourish him.

Kat cradled her daughter against her chest protectively. Until Devona was old enough to protect herself, her father and mother would be her guardians for her and anyone who attempted to harm their precious child would be destroyed.

Robert gestured and the door to the couple's bedroom opened. "Come in, dearies, and meet our daughter. . . Devona Roberta Gold!"

"Oh, isn't she adorable!" Belle cooed. She and Erik arrived while Kat was still giving birth along with the rest of their friends from Storybrooke. She took a photograph of the happy family on her cellphone. Had the Fates decided differently she would be the one holding Robert's baby in her arms but she had been set on a different path. She was doing well in college, at the top of her class and her professors were encouraging her to become a professor herself in any field she wished to but her strengths were in Mythology and History. He smiled while he watched her with his newborn daughter, a vision of Belle holding her own child in her arms.

"It won't be much longer for you, honey," Kat said softly. Belle froze.

"Kat...have you Seen something?" Belle asked her.

"No but I feel it, Belle." She patted the other woman's hand.

Blue flew over to the bed with her wand in her hand followed by Nova and Tinkerbell. "Rumplestiltskin, if you will allow us, we would each like to give Devona a gift."

"You have my blessing, dearies." Robert said softly.

Blue held up her wand and waved it over the baby. "Dear child, this gift I give to you is the gift of flight. May your wings carry you to Heavens and beyond any time you wish...but you must return when you are bid."

Two small blue wings appeared on the baby's back then vanished.

Nova stepped forward holding her own wand. She reached out and caressed the baby's cheek and waved her wand slowly. "My gift to you is that your dreams will always be of love, home, and happiness!"

Tinkerbell flew forward nervously. "What do I give a child who has everything she would ever need?"

"Try, Tinkerbell," Blue encouraged.

"It doesn't matter what it is, Tinkerbell. Even the simplest gift is precious," Kat murmured.

"Here goes..." She waved her wand and a cloak hovered in the air above her. "This cloak will conceal you from your enemies as long as you wear it and no element on earth can ever damage it."

"That's perfect, dearie! Why dinna I think o'that?"

Tink laughed at Robert. "Oh my goodness...this needs to be marked down on the calendar. I managed to think of something you didn't for a change!"

"Dinna get used to it, dearie. It won't happen often."

"Bobby, I think I'll rest for a little while," Kat said sleepily.

"You've earned it, sweetheart. All right you lot...clear out."

"Come on precious, Mama needs her rest," Lydia murmured and picked up Devona. The baby cried as soon as she left the comfort of her mother's embrace until Kat projected an image of a music box playing to her daughter, the music lulling the baby to sleep. "You should get some sleep too, Rumplestiltskin," she added, suspecting the mage had exhausted himself by assisting Kat with the birth.

Kat patted the empty space beside her. "Come to bed, caro mio."

Robert crawled into bed beside her and wrapped his arms around her. "Ti amo, cara mia."

"Ti amo, caro mio."

The couple drifted off to sleep in each other's arms with sweet dreams of their beautiful baby girl and the joy she would bring to their lives in the years to come.

 **A/N: Hope you all liked and there's still the epilogue to come-with more surprises for our heroes and our viillains! Thanks for reading and reviewing as always!**


	17. Epilogue

**~ Epilogue ~**

 **Author's Notes: The Outer Zone is the name given to Oz in the Syfy miniseries Tin Man with these events taking place after part three ends and references the classic Oz novels.**

 **The Celestial Court**

Regina, the former Queen of the Enchanted Forest and Dark One appeared in a forum reminiscent of the famous one of Rome, her wrists and ankles bound with chains. She snorted in disgust at the prisoner at her side, also bound in chains.

"Fancy meeting you here, Your Majesty," Hook said sarcastically.

"Shove it, Guyliner!" she hissed.

In front of them stood the golden Scale of Measurement. It was used by the Celestial Court to weigh the amount of light or darkness each deed committed during an individual's lifespan placed on the soul. Once a soul has been weighed and measured, the Court would decide the person's fate in the afterlife, whether they would live in peace and serenity in Heaven or endure endless suffering in the boughs of Hell.

"Those in judgement will remain silent until being given the opportunity to speak!" Castiel boomed, appearing in the courtroom dressed in his ceremonial robes, Auriel at his side. She held two long scrolls in her hands, each listing the deeds of the souls standing in judgement. The scrolls were not to be opened until Castiel gave permission so that neither the angels nor the demons on the judging panel would have advance knowledge of the case before it was presented.

"Let the panel assemble!" Auriel announced.

A group of angels teleported to the left side of the forum, a group of demons on the right, all of them wearing the grey robes of neutrality. One of the angels stood up and lowered his head respectfully.

"Raphael, have you been chosen to speak for your brethren?"

"I have."

Castiel turned to the panel on the right. An elder demon rose from his seat.

"Crowley, have you been chosen to speak for your brethren?"

The demon smirked. "I have."

"This court has been assembled to pass judgement on the souls of the individuals Regina Mills and Killian Jones. The scrolls you see before you list the deeds of the souls in judgement and will not be opened until instructed to avoid any influence over your verdicts. As each deed is read, it will be weighed and measured on the scale, the lighter the deed, the lighter the weight. The darker the deed, the heavier the burden for the soul to carry. Once the scales have weighed all the deeds I ask you to pronounce your judgement. Auriel, will you please open the scroll for the individual Killian Jones?"

She stepped forward and began reading.

"Hold on a minute! I didn't rape anyone, especially Milah!" Killian protested. "That scroll lies!"

"You have not been given permission to speak," Castiel said coldly.

"It's all lies!" the pirate insisted.

The judges listened in silence, the truth revealed to them through the accused's own soul. Hook watched with dismay as one side of the scale lowered.

The pirate protested again when she came to the section detailing his life on Neverland.

"I…I didn't know what Pan was gonna do with Baelfire or any of those children and I did NOT try to get Tinkerbell drunk to take advantage of her. Someone's been feeding you a line!"

"You will not be warned again. Remain silent or you will be silenced!" Castiel barked.

"Shut up you idiot!" Regina snarled.

"You will be silent." Castiel warned Regina.

Auriel continued reading. "The attempted murders of the individuals known as Belle French Fantome, Archibald Hopper, Rumplestiltskin, Emma Swan, Snow White, Mulan, and Princess Aurora…"

"I did NOT try to kill Emma!"

Castiel waved his hand and a zipper appeared on Hook's mouth. The pirate glared at him.

When she finished reading, the right side of the scale measuring the amount of darkness each deed committed placed on Hook's soul was touching the floor, the left side barely budging an inch. Bae observed from the balcony, recalling his own trial in the Celestial Court, his scale showing the opposite result despite his criminal past. He only wished his papa could be there to see his mortal enemy receive his just desserts. Fergus Crowley was one of the most vicious demons in Hell, standing on the right side of Lucifer himself, overseeing the punishments of the souls sent down to them. There was no doubt in Bae's mind Hell was where Hook was going.

Castiel summoned an hourglass. "The panel will have until the last grains fall to reach your verdict."

Domes appeared over the panels. The occupants could be seen talking inside them but their conversations could not be heard by those standing outside to avoid any outside influence. Hook recalled a long-ago conversation with his father where the elder Jones referred to an hourglass as the symbol of humans' fleeting existence and his time was about to run out. There would be no reunion with his brother in Heaven. He firmly believed his old enemy had somehow influenced the court and he would spend the rest of eternity in torment.

Time passed slowly in the Celestial Court while the panels deliberated, weighing the evidence seen and unseen. The last sands of the hourglass fell at dawn the following morning. The domes vanished and the representatives from the panels rose from their seats and faced the accused. "The Brethren of the Almighty has reached its verdict," Raphael announced.

Crowley smiled." The brethren of the Desolate One has reached its verdict."

"Brethren of the Desolate One, deliver your verdict," Castiel instructed.

Crowley faced the former pirate, his dark eyes gleaming with mischief. "We the Brethren of the Desolate One lay claim to the soul of the individual Killian Jones for an eternity of punishment in any manner our Lord sees fit."

"Your verdict has been recorded. Brethren of the Almighty, deliver your verdict."

Raphael's expression was solemn as he spoke to the court and the accused. "We the Brethren of the Almighty surrender custody of the soul of the individual Killian Jones to the Desolate One for an eternity of punishment in any manner he sees fit."

"Your verdict has been recorded. Brethren of the Desolate One, custody will begin at the conclusion of these proceedings."

"Looking forward to it," Crowley murmured.

"Curb your enthusiasm for the moment, Crowley," Castiel scolded. "Let us now proceed with the judgment of the individual Regina Mills. Auriel, please open the scroll."

"…I never would been the way I am if it weren't for my mother and that damned imp!" Regina raged after Auriel read the first charge, the murder of King Leopold. "And I didn't kill him, Sidney did!"

Bae shook his head from where he was sitting.

 _Evil isn't born Regina, it's made…and YOU made yourself that way, not my father._

"The murders of the peoples in the following locations…." Auriel went on. "Let it be stated on the record that the victim Marian Hood was resurrected through a time travel spell by the Dark One Emma, however, it has been determined by the Almighty and the Desolate One that Marian's initial death must still be included."

"That's ridiculous!" Regina protested. "She's not dead, so that charge should be thrown out!"

"Silence!" Castiel snapped.

"The crime of patricide and the casting of a curse to inflict pain and suffering on innocents."

"Innocents?" Regina laughed harshly. "That bitch Snow White KILLED my fiancé. How is SHE innocent?"

"Her soul is not on trial. Yours is. Be silent or you will be silenced!"

"The mass murder of innocents in the Enchanted Forest under your reign as the usurper queen. The knowing accessory to the mass murder of children at the blind witch's hands. The infliction of emotional abuse on a child."

"What? No….I..I didn't abuse Henry….you can't accuse me of that."

 _That's what you think bitch,_ Bae thought angrily.

The scale tipped further to the right.

"The rape of Graham, using manipulation of his heart and then murdering him. The murder of innocent Kurt Flynn, and ruination of his young son Owen's life."

"I wanted Owen to be my son! And Flynn would have told everyone about Storybrooke! He had to die!"

Auriel eyed her coldly. "Protests shall gain you nothing. Your deeds and the intent behind them condemn you, for you regret nothing so long as it gets you what you wished." Then she continued reading. "You lied to your son about never using magic, erasing his memory to prevent him from recalling you broke your word. Once again you broke your word when you joined with your mother Cora to destroy Storybrooke and its residents and slay Rumplestiltskin so your mother could take the power of the dagger. You cursed Belle French Fantome out of petty revenge on Rumplestiltskin to prove he was as a dark as you claimed, resulting in the barfly Lacey, who could have destroyed Belle with her drinking and her unwise choices in men. And then you willingly accepted the Dark One curse, knowing the price and cleaving to your Dark One mate, Emma Swan."

"Better to reign in hell!"

"The creation of the Darkling child known as Damien Swan Mills and the sacrifices of five unwilling souls to disrupt the Balance and bring destruction to the realms."

Regina glared at the panel. "I will NEVER regret the creation of my son! Do with me what you will but you'll never touch my son! The day will come when he will bring all of you to your knees!"

Castiel gestured and Regina's mouth vanished. "You can have it back later. Brethren, you may now deliberate upon your verdicts. You will have until the last grains of sand fall."

Hook was laughing. "Guess you'll be joining me in Hell, Your Majesty," he sneered, his mouth having been returned to him. If looks killed the pirate would have been dead where he stood.

The panels concluded their deliberations at dawn on the second day. Raphael rose from his seat and addressed Castiel. "The Brethren of the Almighty has reached a verdict."

Crowley rose. "The Brethren of the Desolate One has reached a verdict."

"Brethren of the Desolate One, deliver your verdict."

"We the Brethren of the Desolate One lay claim to the soul of the individual Regina Mills for an eternity of punishment in any manner our Lord sees fit," Crowley announced with a grin.

"Your verdict has been recorded. Brethren of the Almighty, deliver your verdict."

"We the Brethren of the Almighty surrender the soul of the individual Regina Mills into the custody of the Desolate One for an eternity of punishment in any manner he sees fit."

"Your verdict has been recorded and we now conclude the proceedings. Brethren of the Desolate One you may take custody of your charges."

Crowley approached Regina with a grin. "Your mother's waiting for you."

"No, no! Don't put me with HER!"

"You're not a queen or a Dark One any more. You'll go where I want you to go and I can promise you; you're second rate when compared to me!" Crowley laughed and teleported them out.

Bae appeared in the now empty forum beside Auriel and Castiel. "Now that you know how the Celestial Court works Baelfire you will able to participate in judgements either as the keeper of the records or serve on the panel…but that will not be for another two centuries."

"Why do I get the impression that Crowley is worse than either of those two?"

"He is. Fergus Crowley and his mother were two powerful sorcerers in Ireland during the Middle Ages," Castiel explained. "But they were also highly competitive, especially with each other. They planned each other's demise with poison but after switching glasses on each other several times they poisoned themselves."

"I'm glad I didn't end up in his custody!"

Regina and Hook were about to learn they were not so fortunate.

Crowley and Hook appeared in a room with an old wooden table in the center, the surface covered with dried blood. He gestured and the pirate was thrown onto the table, secured with iron cuffs. A man entered the room dressed in clothing from the Victorian era, a bloodstained apron over his suit.

"Killian Jones, meet Jack. Jack, say hello to Killian Jones."

Jack pried the hook loose from his arm and held it up. "I heard you like to threaten to dissect people. I don't threaten…I do." He leaned forward and waved the hook in front of the pirate's face. "Whitechapel was just practice. You will be my masterpiece."

"I'll let you two get acquainted," Crowley said with a smile and closed the door, the screams of pain and agony music to his ears.

Crowley teleported Regina to another room where a woman waited, sipping from a golden goblet. "Elizabeth, meet Regina Mills. Regina, say hello to Elizabeth Bathory."

The woman known throughout history as the "Blood Countess" smiled at the younger former queen. "Well Crowley, you've brought me a fine specimen this time and I have a new set of devices ready to try out."

"I'll leave you to get started then."

The moment the door closed behind them chains came out of the floor and wrapped themselves around Regina's ankles. Elizabeth turned a wheel on the wall and started pulling the former queen up to the ceiling where several other women were already hanging including her much hated sister and mother.

"Well well, hello little sister!" Zelena laughed.

Cora groaned from where she was hanging.

"You three will look lovely in these." Elizabeth gestured to three iron maidens in the corner of the room. Regina was beginning to think spending eternity in an iron maiden would be better than having to listen to her sister and mother.

 **The Outer Zone**

 **Six months later:**

Rebuilding after the fifteen years of terror the residents of the Outer Zone endured at the hands of the Sorceress had not been easy. Many still feared that she would rise again with her army. Most of her Longcoats had been captured and awaited trial in the tower's dungeons. The OZ once again had a queen; DG, the youngest child of the former queen. Though she'd been raised on the other side, the new queen had plenty of people standing by to help ease her into her new role. One of her first actions as queen was to speak the truth about the origins of the Sorceress. Though she had the face and body of the Princess Azkadellia, the dark witch Mombi lured DG and Azkadellia to the cave where she'd been imprisoned centuries earlier by their ancestor Queen Ozma and taken possession of Azkadellia's body and magic since she was the stronger of the two. Many people throughout the OZ still blamed the eldest princess for their misery and called for her execution until DG revealed that she had been the one to release Mombi's spirit when she ran from the cave in fear instead of helping her sister maintain the protective barrier they'd been holding against her. Now the stability of the new Queen's regime was in doubt and a new threat was about to emerge.

A funnel cloud appeared on the ruins of the once famed Yellow Brick Road and the Dark Queen Emma emerged carrying her son in her arms, smiling.

"We deserved so much more than that pathetic little town Regina and now we'll have it thanks to that bitch sister of yours. She wasn't good for much else but at least she left behind a way for us to leave among other things." She glanced down at her feet, her customary leather boots had been replaced with ruby slippers, discovered among Zelena's possessions when Emma went to the abandoned farmhouse to burn it in her beloved wife's honor. She also discovered Zelena's cache of books on dark magic, including the one Regina consulted to bring their child into the world and another she used to create the ruby slippers that could allow one to cross realms as their silver counterparts had. There would be one final price to be paid once the boy reached adulthood and sired his heir, a price his second mother would gladly pay if it led to the destruction of the Savior Children and reunited her with her wife.

Though she'd been banished from Oz years ago, Zelena still had beings in the realm loyal to her, keeping her up to date on current events in the realm and the young girl who believed she'd defeated her simply by dousing her with water managed to marry into the Royal House and produce powerful offspring, her current descendants being Queen DG and her sister Azkadellia. Emma had no need for a formerly possessed sorceress, she had been returned to the light but the younger one carried the darkness within her, a darkness Emma was determined to see unleashed. The mating of her son and the Ozian queen would produce an heir that would inherit the empire his father and grandmother would provide for him. Rumplestiltskin may have sealed them off from the other world but there were other realms ripe for the taking and in the world of his mothers' birth, the young prince would build his empire until the day his heir succeeded him.

The Dark Queen gestured and changed back into an outfit that the people of Storybrooke once associated with the former Savior, her red leather jacket, white tank top, black jeans and boots, the ruby slippers and her dagger concealed by a cloaking spell. It was a long walk to the former Emerald City now called Central City but she didn't dare risk teleporting. No, the Ozians could not discover her identity until the damage had already been done.

 _I'll make you proud, Regina. They'll never see us coming._

She walked on, relishing the chaos to come.

During her journey to Central City she sensed the presence of a dark and desperate soul and as her predecessors did before her, she would offer him a deal he couldn't refuse…his freedom for his services. She discovered her prey locked in what looked like an old fashioned diving suit and with a flick of her wrist the prison opened releasing a foul stench which was to be expected since the man couldn't practice proper hygiene in that contraption.

"Who...who are you?" He demanded.

She smiled. "My name is Emma. And who might you be?"

"Zero. Commander of the Sorceress's army."

"Well it looks like you're out of a job, Zero. The sorceress was defeated. But she's nothing compared to me. You'll never have to go back in that thing again and you can have your revenge against the ones who put you there…for a price."

He eyed her suspiciously. "What price? Who are you lady?" He stalked toward her. She waved her hand and sent him flying through the air, barely missing one of the trees.

"Not someone you want to screw with, Zero!" she hissed and cast a come hither spell, pulling his heart out of his chest. "Your price is that you will serve me and my son in any manner I see fit. Did your sorceress never tell you about that Dark One?"

He shook his head.

"You'll learn."

He already understood this woman was not be trifled with. He'd heard the sorceress speak of other mages who used hearts to control their victims but he'd never seen her do it. She preferred drugging her victims into submission. Many Ozians paid top dollar for a bottle of the sorceress's vapors, they provided a welcome escape from their miserable lives. Emma slammed his heart back into his chest. "We have a lot of work to do and we'd better get started."

When they reached Central City no one would recognize the former Longcoat commander now that he had been glamored to look like Baelfire, Emma's final insult to the thief she once loved when she was young and naïve. That girl was long gone and in her place a ruthless woman who would stop at nothing to see her son's destiny fulfilled.

 **New York**

 **Six years later:**

After a long and stressful week in the city, Robert and Kat looked forward to a relaxing vacation at the Southern Cross Ranch in the Adirondack Mountains. No one was surprised that Archie expressed a desire to live in the country a year after Angel's birth when he'd always been a country man at heart and Jeanna never outgrew her own country roots. Jeanna still kept her campsite for fishing trips and the couple purchased a dude ranch that went out of business years earlier, renamed it Southern Cross after another famous ranch on the show Dallas, allowing only friends and family to visit. Archie still worked as a therapist and kept in contact with his city patients via video conferencing and Jeanna also used video conferencing for her private investigation firm but John and the rest of the Merry Men handled most of the cases.

The Golds stood in front of the mirror in their living room waiting for Neal's parents to arrive. Erik and Belle would also be joining them along with their son Michael and Belle's father. Belle discovered she was pregnant a month after Devona was born and little Michael was showing great promise as a magician and an artist. The families held play dates for the children every weekend and they always spent the holidays together at Castillo d'Oro, the Golds' house in New York, Erik and Belle's house or Archie's ranch.

"Papa, I wanna get goin!" Devona protested.

"Cool your jets, little sister," Bae advised. She blew a raspberry at him.

"Yeah I wanna go ride my horse," Neal added impatiently.

"Jus' wanna sit by the lake an read my new book," Michael piped up.

"You're gettin in the water. Angel will make ya!" Devona giggled.

"Ah okay…if 's'not too cold. Don't wanna freeze my butt off."

"They gots that indoor pool," Devona reminded him. "Neal, why do your mommy an daddy always gotta be late?"

"Umm…I dunno."

"We're here!" Snow cried. "Sorry…we got caught in a traffic jam."

Kat shook her head. "That's why I'm glad I don't drive anymore. City traffic used to drive me crazy and the subway is even worse."

Robert waved his hand over the mirror, opening a portal to the Hoppers' living room. Henry was sitting on the sofa watching a movie while his sister played with her toys.

"Hi, Grandpa!"

"Where are Jeanna and Archie?"

"They're in the stable with Maisie….she's about to give birth."

"Oooo…we're gonna have a new horse!" Michael exclaimed. "Mama, wanna go see it!"

"After it's been born and Maisie has a chance to rest," Erik said firmly. "Now don't be giving me that look Michael Crawford Fantome. Birth is hard work for Maisie and she needs her rest…so will her baby."

"Okay," he sighed.

The moment they stepped through the mirror Angel jumped up and ran over to her friends, nearly knocking Michael over when she hugged him.

"Holy crap, Angel!" he exclaimed, blushing. Henry giggled from the sofa, his sister giving him a Look.

"I'm really glad to see you guys! Did Henry tell ya Maisie's havin a baby?"

"Yup! Can't wait to see it," Neal answered.

Kat summoned her apron. "They'll be tired after that so we can get lunch started for them," she said to Robert and they went into the kitchen. They always cooked when they visited Archie and Jeanna even when their hosts insisted they relax and enjoy themselves. Henry took Bae and Auriel for a walk while the Charmings and Fantomes stayed in the house with the children. David and Erik were discussing Erik's new play, a tribute to veterans that was a smash hit on Broadway and nominated for six Tony awards. His second production, a musical based on their own lives was also nominated. The awards ceremony would be held the following evening. Belle and Erik would teleport back to the city to attend while their son stayed at the ranch. Everyone was confident Erik would sweep both categories, his productions were deeply moving, close to his heart and even those involved in the productions of Phantom of the Opera praised his new twist on the Phantom's story, never realizing they were watching the story of his own life play out.

"Gonna have to make you some shelves to hold all those Tony's," they heard Robin say from the mirror as he stepped through with Roland, Marian and their daughter Robyn Mary.

"Hey, we didn't think you could make it!" Henry exclaimed from the doorway and hi-fived Roland.

"Dad got done with that house early so we have the weekend off," Roland explained.

"And we have a new member of the family," Archie announced.

"Daddy when we gonna see the new horse?" Angel demanded impatiently.

"Maisie's gotta rest first," he mother said firmly.

"Did she have any problems?" David asked the couple. They nodded.

"Thank the gods Rob and Kat sensed it and came out to help. Dr. Doolittle was worried for a few minutes," Archie replied. "Doc and Happy are with them now."

All of Archie and Jeanna's ranch hands were from their world, they didn't want to risk having outsiders seeing magic performed there and the dwarves preferred a life in the country to the hectic pace of the city.

"Robin, good! You're just in time for lunch," Kat said happily.

"Not gonna miss your cooking, Aunt Kat!" Little Robyn grinned.

"Think we better go change and get a shower, Doc," Jeanna giggled. "Don't wanna be making everyone sick smelling like we just stumbled outta the barn!"

"An don't be in there all night kissin n stuff!" Angel called out.

"Angel Katherine Hopper!" Archie blushed.

"You do!"

"And you need to remember how to knock!"

Henry was leaning against the wall laughing hysterically.

"That's something I would've done," Bae chuckled.

"You did, you scamp!" his father spoke up and glanced over at Kat. "He was five and I always told him never come in while I'm using the outhouse but he decided he was going to be funny and scare me. So he opened the door, scared the bejesus outta me saying there was a rat in there and I go running out with my drawers and pants hanging down and tripped over 'em! And then…and THEN someone came to see me and got a sight they didn't need to!"

"Boy, did I have a sore butt that night!"

"Well ye asked for that one ,love. I did see something in mine only it was a snake!" Auriel said. "Luckily the beastie was just seeking sanctuary. They knew no one would look for 'em in there."

"Do you see lotsa animals in Heaven?" Michael wanted to know.

"They have their own special place lad but they come to see their owners that have passed on." The family was still mourning the loss of Erik's cat Nadir. "And Nadir's watchin over ye."

He smiled.

After the Hoppers showered and changed, everyone assembled in the dining room for another Gold-Fiochetta feast. Kat brought most of the dishes from home with preservation spells on them that made them taste and smell like they'd just come out of the oven.

"Ohhh I ate too much," David groaned, rubbing his belly.

Neal shook his head. "You always say that."

"Can't help it, son…we got the best cooks in all the realms."

"I'm learning to cook like Mommy so Neal can always have good food when we get married!" Devona boasted.

"Ye have a while for that, miss," Robert said.

Devona gave him a look. "Yeah well I'm still gonna marry him."

"When you're old enough and not before," Kat said, leaving no room for argument. Devona inherited her Italian temper and it was never more obvious than when she didn't get her way. There were a few times when her magic reacted to her emotions and Robert had been forced to lock it down before she hurt someone or destroyed something. Neal had better control over his powers than his future bride and there were quite a few times when he was the only one who could calm her when her parents found it impossible to do so.

Though she could be fiery at times, Devona had a gentle spirit and also enjoyed quiet times, reading books with her parents, she could read herself, but loved best when her papa read to her with his impressions. Or sang with her, for she had inherited his perfect pitch voice. Robert had also taught her how to spin on her child-sized wheel and to sew doll clothes and crochet scarves and potholders. Kat said she reminded her of her mom, who had been a champion knitter and made blankets and articles of clothing her whole family had cherished for years.

His daughter was also a champion of the small and helpless, and had once gotten her kindergarten class in an uproar because she caught a bigger boy teasing little Mary MacLeod, who wore a brace on her foot to correct a club foot. Dev had promptly declared that if KC didn't quit calling Mary names and tripping her, he was gonna get a fat lip and then Devona was gonna sue him for harassment and discrimination. This had led to her teacher and the principal calling Robert and Kat in for a discussion on how their five-year-old knew about law and terminology.

It was a lovely summer day and they spent most of the morning relaxing in the Hoppers' swimming pool that had been portioned off so that the kids could play and swim in the shallow end and the adults relaxed in the deep end. Robert had his own indoor pools built at both of his estates after discovering the wonders of aquatic therapy and Bae would often challenge him to a race in the pool when he appeared in human form, shocked when his father managed to beat him several times.

"When it gets dark Daddy's gonna get the campfire ready an we can roast marshmallows and make pies," Angel announced.

"I'm gonna make pizza ones like my mommy's pizza," Devona said.

"Can we catch those light bugs?" Michael asked her.

"Yeah, they come around here a lot but we gotta let em out before we go to bed."

The Hopper ranch was also a refuge for wild animals. Six months after they moved in a bear nearly got in the house and terrified the family. Henry, having learned how to commune with wildlife by his grandfather, went outside to speak to the bear and broker a truce with it while his adoptive parents were on pins and needles worrying for his safety. Fortunately; the bear was willing to listen to the young mage and spread the word throughout the mountains that animals were free to roam on the Hopper ranch as long as they did no harm to those living there.

"How's Mister Fox and his family?" Devona asked.

Angel smiled. "They'll be here tonight. Pepe said he'd come if your daddy uses that spell the doesn't make him stink," she said referring to a skunk that was a regular visitor to the ranch.

"I can do it. He taught me. What smell's he want?"

"He doesn't care…anything other than his own."

"Mommy! We're gonna havta make more food! Our friends are coming!" Devona yelled over to her mother.

"I'm already prepared!" Kat called back.

"My mommy and daddy havta go back to the city early 'cause Daddy's gonna be in that dumb award show." Michael made a face. "He doesn't wanna sit with a buncha snobs but Mommy says he's gotta be there when they give him his Tonys."

"I always cry when I hear that song he wrote for Mommy's character when she's talking to my father 'bout breakin his curse." Devona confessed.

"I get choked up when I hear the song he wrote for my dad," Henry said. "I don't think there was a dry eye in the theater on opening night."

"Daddy gets a lotta letters from guys and girls who fought in the wars and they say he gave em hope when they didn't have any." He smiled. "It's like Mommy says; love's hope an fuels our dreams."

The parents smiled at their children. Though the war between darkness and light was a long time coming, the children were doing their part in spreading the message of love and hope everywhere they went.

"There's another reason why I'm glad we're all here," Robert whispered. "A few weeks ago Kat and I made a disturbing discovery when we went back to Storybrooke to see how our wards were holding up."

"You went back? Papa, are you crazy?"

"We had to. There's been no activity in the seeing globe for the last six years," Kat added.

"Does that mean Emma found some way to block you?" Robin asked.

"That was what we thought until we went out there. The town's gone. It's been destroyed," Robert sighed.

"Destroyed? How? Did Emma use the black diamond Tamara and Greg stole from Regina, the one that almost destroyed the town the last time?" Archie asked.

"Yes. We found the remains of it where the town line was. It turned back into the forest it was before Regina brought us all here," Robert replied.

"So now that witch is loose with her kid?" Jeanna held Archie's hand.

"She's not in this world. At first we couldn't figure out how she did it until we took a closer look at these." Kat summoned the silver slippers from her husband's lab. She turned them over to show them where a portion of the heel had been removed. "All she needed was one piece from them and she could create her own pair to use."

"Cora used a dried bean and water from the lake to make a portal to Storybrooke," Snow spoke up. "And she also had the ashes from the wardrobe we used to send Emma through."

"Then she's back in the Enchanted Forest."

"No, she isn't, Robin. I set up a ward that would prevent her from going there either. Unfortunately; wherever she is, she is harnessing that realm's magic and using it to block my sight and we must all be at full strength when we face her and the Darkling, Neal and Devona especially. Until then we must continue to spread a message of love and hope both in this world and our own."

Belle glanced over at her small son. "Our children are off to a good start."

Later that night the families gathered around the campfire, the children roasting marshmallows on sticks while their parents made them mountain pies. Some of the local wildlife also paid them a visit, one of the bears allowing Neal and Devona to sit on its lap. There were also deer, moose, foxes, Pepe the skunk and several species of birds.

"This place is like a zoo," Bae joked.

"It can be when Angel takes in something she finds wanderin' around in the woods. I used to do that when I was a kid, drove my momma and daddy nuts."

Devona summoned her knitting materials from her suitcase.

"What'cha makin, Dev?" Neal asked her.

"Something for Mister Bear to cover up with when he has to go hibernate," she replied.

"But he doesn't need anything. Got his fur to keep him warm."

 _I will still cherish any gift you give me young Mistress,_ the bear sent.

"See he says he's gonna use it so I'm gonna make it."

"Pies are done, guys!" Henry called out. The youngsters nearly ran him over fetching their treats. "Holy crap! You oughta try out for the Boston Marathon!"

"We're hungry!" Angel said.

They stayed outside until eight PM then took the children into the house to get them ready for bed. As they were walking back to their own rooms the house began to shake.

"What is that!" Snow cried, gripping the back of the sofa to keep from falling.

"Feels like a tornado!" Jeanna cried and ran to the window. "Doc! It is a tornado!"

"What?!" He gazed out the window to see a dark funnel cloud spinning towards the house. "Jeanna, go get Angel and head for the basement!"

"Archie, wait a moment…something feels odd about that storm," Robert said.

"There's no time for guessing, Bobby! We have to get to the basement before the house gets torn apart!"

Robert opened the door and stepped outside.

"Bobby, get back here!" Kat cried over the howling winds.

"There's magic emitting from that cloud. Concentrate and you can feel it," he instructed.

Her fingertips sparkled with magic. "If it's that bitch Emma she's going to get blasted into the trees!"

He sensed the presence of a mage in the cloud but it wasn't the current Dark One.

"Kat, Henry, come with me." The trio advanced toward the funnel cloud and blasted it with their magic while the couples inside gathered up their tired, cranky children and took them to safety in the basement.

As the cloud faded they could see a figure bouncing around inside it. Henry cast a levitation spell and gently lowered the occupant to the ground.

"It's a woman!" he cried.

Robert kneeled beside her and waved his hand over her unconscious form. "She's suffering from severe magical drain," he said. "And she's been through one hell of a fight!" The woman had bruises on her arms and legs as well as a long scar across her cheek.

"Who is she?" Kat demanded.

"Azkadellia Gale," Auriel answered. "A descendant of Dorothy herself."

"What's she doing here?"

"I think I know what world Emma's in now," Henry said glumly. "Oz." The others nodded in agreement.

"We need to get her inside." Robert waved his hand and teleported the former princess onto the sofa in the Hoppers' living room. Henry opened the door to the basement where his adoptive father stood waiting anxiously for news. "Archie, you guys can come out. The twister's gone."

"What was it? Who is that?"

"Auriel says she's Dorothy Gale's descendant and Grandpa says she has magical drain and it looks like she's been beaten up!"

Jeanna's eyes narrowed to slits. "Any man who hits on a woman oughta be beaten within an inch of his life hisself!"

"Jeanna, I think Emma did this to her."

"Auriel, what do you know about this?" Robert demanded.

"Only what I've Seen, Bobby. The Darkling intends to sire his heir on the Gale descendant most susceptible to the darkness. This one was once possessed by the dark witch Mombi but she is not the one Emma is after. It's her sister, DG."

Azkadellia Gale's eyes fluttered open. "W…Where am I?" she asked weakly.

"You're on the other side in a place called New York," Robert explained.

"Rumplestiltskin…you must help me…the Dark One…has my sister."

"How did she get to Oz?"

"Slippers….ruby slippers…made from the originals worn by Dorothy. I..I tried to stop her….I wasn't strong enough."

"I'll go make her some tea," Kat said and went into the kitchen. Snow helped the former princess sit up and wrapped her in one of the blankets Rumple knitted for the Hoppers for a Christmas gift. Kat returned minutes later with the tea and handed it to her, the princess beginning her story.

"The Oz was already in turmoil after the eclipse. We all thought things would settle down once DG took the throne but she started changing after her coronation, acting like I did when Mombi controlled me only worse. We all thought it was from the pressure of being queen. She never wanted to rule and was talking about coming back here with Cain; he's a Tin Man she met when she returned. We didn't realize it was the Dark One controlling her."

"You didn't sense the Dark One's presence at all?"

"No. She was masking her aura and glamored the man she was travelling with to look like him," she said pointing at Bae.

"What? Who was she with?" Bae asked angrily.

Azkadellia cringed. "Zero. One of the most ruthless soldiers in Mombi's army. Cain had him locked in an iron suit, she freed him and made him into her servant."

"How was she controlling her?"

"The Dark One has her heart. We were attempting to get it back before I summoned the travel storm to bring me here."

"And you and your sister are the only other mages left in Oz?" Henry asked her.

She nodded sadly. "The only other ones were my mother and our tutor. She killed them years ago and locked me away. My sister's friends found out where I was and released me but she's taken something from each of them and imprisoned them."

"What did she take?"

"Cain's heart, the royal advisor's brain, the Seer Raw's courage."

"Dammit!" Robert cursed.

"A time travel spell," Henry groaned.

"Why would she want to go back in time again?"

"She doesn't want to travel back in time, she wants to travel forward. She has my sister under a sleeping curse and intends to wake her once she travels forward in time…"

"So her son can breed another abomination!" Auriel growled.

"She only needs one more ingredient for her spell….a baby." Belle reminded them. "One born of true love."

Azkadellia's hands cradled her belly protectively. "She will NEVER get my baby!"

They could see a slash mark across her abdomen when she leaned forward to pick up her teacup again.

"No she won't honey because we're going to ward both of you against her," Kat said firmly. "Bobby, is it possible? Can she travel forward in time?"

"She can try but I suspect the Celestial Court will put a damper on that."

Bae smiled. "They already did, Papa. Right after Regina's judgement. She tried to claim the charge for Marian's murder should've been thrown out because it was reversed when Emma went back in time but the Celestial Court ruled it would still be included. The second she tries to cast that spell all the ingredients will be returned to their rightful owners." He shook his head. "There's a reason why time travel of ANY sort is forbidden. Because psychos like Zelena and Emma will seize any chance to "remake" history the way they think it ought to be. So if she tries it-the Powers will kick her ass hard. Even the Dark One has limits."

"And Crowley is itchin to get her arse in Hell," Auriel added.

"Is this 'Crowley' one of the Powers?" Kat asked.

"Aye. The right hand of Lucifer. He hands out the punishments for the souls surrendered to the custody of the Brethren of the Desolate One. They want her...and the demonspawn she created."

"Even without time travel she can still keep my sister in stasis until her son reaches adulthood...unless she tries to find a way to accelerate his growth."

"But that has a price too," Robert answered quietly. "Anything which goes against the natural order does-and it harms the one who is the recipient as much as it does the caster."

"Then it begs the question...how far is Emma willing to go to have what she wants...Regina killed her own father."

Kat scowled. "It's my observation that Emma, like Regina, is spoiled in her belief that as a magician, she can get away with using her magic and not paying the same prices others pay-it was ingrained in her by Regina and by her own selfish use of magic as the Savior. Others pay-SHE and hers don't. But that's wrong. ALL magicians-dark or light-pay magic's price. One way or another. And she'll discover that to her own sorrow. If she attempts to accelerate the growth of her child-the son may become very unstable and crazy-more than he would normally be-and she might lose control over him and he becomes more dangerous than she wishes."

Azkadellia sighed. "And they're both a danger to my people but I cannot help them in my current condition."

Snow sobbed quietly in her chair. "Neal won't be able to save Emma...she's beyond it now."

Robert shook his head. "Not if she truly realizes the wrong she has done-and repents of it truly-like I did. But she has to choose-her power as the Dark One and see the true evil she has committed out of her own resentment and anger. Only then can she be redeemed. She cannot make the mistake Regina and Hook and Zelena have-and blame all her wrong deeds and choices upon others."

"As I was being taken up in the travel storm I heard her casting a spell to seal off the OZ...I'm assuming she meant to prevent me from returning but I heard your name mentioned."

"Whose name? Mine?" Robert queried.

"Yes. If we cannot go back who can we send to rescue my sister?"

"There is one who can travel to other realms naturally. His name is Jefferson-the Mad Hatter." Robert remarked. "He could be persuaded to create a portal to the OZ. Or Percy of Wonderland. But they would have to be accompanied by a mage who could deal ruthlessly with enemies once they get there-yet never quite cross the line between good and evil."

"You mean Neal don't you? It still has to be Neal," David said sadly.

"What about Anna of Wonderland?" Erik suggested.

"Neal and Devona have been chosen to battle the Dark One and her spawn and they must be the ones to go but only when they are old enough. Any other mage we send I fear will be sent back...in pieces." Auriel shivered.

"This is a battle that willna be fought today, dearies," Robert reminded them. "But in the future. In the meantime, Azkadellia, you are welcome to stay as my guest in our home-you and the baby you carry. Do you need to send a message to your baby's papa?"

She nodded.

"Tell me and I will magically send it to him."

"He is a guard in the palace on a diplomatic mission to Wonderland."

His mission was securing a safe haven for refugees fleeing the tyrannical rule of the Dark One.

Robert conjured a magical quill and parchment. "Here, dearie. Write what you wish to say and then I will see that it gets to him."

Minutes later she handed him the letter. "Thank you. He will be worried for us."

"What is his name? I need that to send this where 'tis meant to go." He flexed his fingers in preparation.

She smiled. "His name is Alexander but you may address it to General Tasker. That is his last name and rank."

"Okay, dearie." He muttered something in the ancient language of magic, which sounded somewhat similar to Latin, and the letter glowed with purple and white light. Robert gestured with a flourish and the letter drifted away out the window and then soared through the air like a comet before vanishing in a brilliant flicker.

"Show off!" his wife teased.

He arched an eyebrow. "And what is the point of magic, mo cridhe, if you cannot have fun with it once in a while?" He smirked impishly at her, his brown eyes sparkling.

Kat laughed. "Point taken, caro."

"As long as you don't use it to turn your hair green and your skin polka dotted," Belle giggled.

Erik groaned. "Belle, did you HAVE to bring that up?"

Robert looked offended. "Now, now, dearie! I'm no' in my dotage yet-to inflict such a horror upon the world!"

"Really, Papa? I seem to remember just such a horror when my baby sister was born. When you were dressed like a replica of Frankenstein's Fashion Monster."

Robert glared at his eldest. "You're never gonna let me live that down , are you, Baelfire?"

Bae smirked. "Nope! It's too funny!"

"Erik accidentally turned Michael into a green haired polka dotted skinned baby when he tried to use magic to change his diaper instead of just doing it the old-fashioned way."

"I was a first-time father and nervous!" Erik defended.

"Oh dearie dearie dear!" Robert and Auriel chorused before they burst out laughing.

"Doc, remember the time you dressed Angel and forgot the diaper?" Jeanna asked her husband.

"I was half asleep! She'd been awake most the night crying but I had an unholy mess to clean up later!"

Robert gave him a sympathetic glance. "I've been there, old friend. With Bae. Milah was drunk half the time she tended to him. And Dev had a touchy stomach for the first two months and was fond o' projectile vomiting all over my clean Armanis."

"And Charming here bathed Neal in the sink... with dishes in it!" Snow scowled at her husband.

"Oh come on I just sprayed him off, didn't actually put him in there!"

Kat looked ill. "Oh my God! David, how unsanitary!"

"I gave him merry hell for it afterwards and made him give Neal a proper bath and scrub the dishes."

"I can't blame you, Snow. I would have whacked my husband with my spoon," Kat giggled.

"I wouldn't have done something like that!" Robert objected.

Bae laughed, "No but I probably would have being a nervous first time dad."

Henry rolled his eyes and chuckled. "Can see you doing it too, Dad."

Azkadellia smiled. "Then I'd better make sure my Alex doesn't do anything crazy like that." A letter appeared in her lap bearing the crest of the royal house of Wonderland. She opened it and read the contents weeping with joy. "My Alex is safe! He says he is going to try to come to me before the baby is born and Queen Anna and her king have some of my people there under her protection."

"That's wonderful news. Rest assured you and your family will be safe under my protection. But for now you need to rest to recover your strength."

"We have a room upstairs, Azkadellia," Archie said. "Henry, can you show her where it is please."

"We look to be close to the same size so I can lend you some of my clothes to wear until we get you some new ones," Jeanna offered.

"And you'll need maternity clothes too. Bobby, we'll need your AmEx." Kat said, leaving no room for argument.

"You're not even gonna ask him for it, Mama?" Bae teased.

"It's better just to turn it over, Bae," Robert giggled.

"Bobby, one thing you need to learn is NEVER give a woman the credit card." David spoke up earning a swat from his wife. "Ow! Honey, what was that for?"

"You never have a problem splurging on what you want but when I NEED something and you have more on your card than I do you put up a fuss!"

"Leave Belle in a bookstore with my Discover card and I can see the money floating away."

"Is that so, Monsieur Fantome? Shall I remind you I see the money floating away when you're looking at those online auctions?"

"They have items for sale I want to buy."

"And we're running out of room for it all!" Belle glanced over at her ex-husband. "He's a worse pack rat than you!"

Henry excused himself to take their new guest upstairs and get her settled in while the mothers checked on their children. Neal, Devona, and Michael had all been awakened by the presence of another mage in the house and insisted on meeting her until Kat reminded them that she was exhausted from her long journey and needed to rest. Once she was alone in her room, Azkadellia conjured a seeing globe and gazed into it, the image of a young woman in her early twenties sleeping inside a casket similar to the one the dwarves constructed for Snow White, haunted by her last conversation with her sister.

 _"I have to stay Deege! Nothing can hurt us if we're together! Remember that!"_

 _"You can't! You have to protect your baby! Remember what Mother said. Only the Saviors can help me now. You have to go to them…make them protect you and your baby and when the time is right you'll all return and bring that bitch down!"_

"I'll be back, Deege," she said determinedly.

Seven months later Azkadellia gave birth to a daughter she named Alexandra. Her husband completed his diplomatic mission in Wonderland and returned in time to see his daughter born, surprising her by bringing the friends she thought were imprisoned in the Dark One's palace. After her second attempt at time travel was a failure the Dark Queen was now attempting to accelerate her son's aging process, the members of the Celestial Court ready to unleash their wrath on her for once again attempting to defy their Laws. Neal still held onto the hope that one day he would be able to save his sister; their parents, difficult as it was for them to do, had given up all hope of Emma's salvation. She strengthened her commitment to the darkness with every evil deed.

Their parents were determined that Neal and Devona would still be able to enjoy their formative years despite the difficult future they faced. Neal inherited his father's love of animals and spoke of becoming a veterinarian when he grew up and Devona's spinning and weaving was one of the highlights of local craft shows and festivals. They also continued their magic training along with Henry, Michael, and Alexandra, demonstrating more patience and self-control than the Mills women ever did and Angel also sat in on their lessons even though she was not a mage herself. She would however, learn other methods to defend herself against dark mages and their disciples.

Neal asked Devona to take a walk with him one evening after a magic lesson at Castello D'Oro. He had grown tall with wavy dark brown hair and his father's blue eyes, as handsome as Charming had been at that age. While Devona was still at the coltish stage, but her flyaway light brown hair had been tamed somewhat by her papa's magical elixirs and her own special inner beauty shone from her chocolate brown eyes, heralding the promise of the eventual lovely woman she would become, petite and curvaceous like her mama.

Both were dressed comfortably in soft leather breeches , billowing cream shirts, and Neal had a royal blue tunic on with the crest of his House and Dev had a velvet purple vest with the crest of Castello D'Oro upon it, and both wore dragonhide boots and Dev the cloak Tinkerbell had gifted to her at her christening.

"You better not take me back late. Papa will get upset," she teased. He laughed.

"I thought he was gonna turn me into a snail when I brought you home late after the movies," he confessed. "The way he was looking at me, I think he thought we ahhh….did something."

"I told him we didn't. You're not like the other boys in school who think about that, gaming, and sports all the time but you know how Papa is….overprotective; even when I'm with you!"

He took her hand in his and gazed into her eyes. "I would never do anything you don't want me to, Dev."

"I know," she said softly. "I wish I was twenty, then we could get married."

"Five more years, Dev. It's not that long of a wait. And I'm not going anywhere." He kissed her softly.

"Oh stop that!" Robert groaned from the balcony where he observed them. Kat poked her head out and scowled at him.

"Robert Gold, you get in here and let them have their privacy!"

"But…but…"

She cast a come-hither spell. "I warned you I would do it if I caught you spying on them again! Neal's a good boy. He'd never take advantage of our daughter."

"I know I know…it's just that…ahh hell, she's growin' up too damn fast!" he complained. "And I'm getting in my dotage!"

She grinned. "Oh I wouldn't say that, caro. You still look sexy for an almost four-hundred-year-old." She gestured and changed his pajamas into one of his customary leather outfits and wrapped her arms around his neck. "D'ye need any more reminders?"

"Mayhap a few."

"Then come to bed, Rumplestiltskin and let me show you just how sexy I still find you!"

"Ye dinna need to ask me twice, mo cridhe!"

Down in the garden their young daughter glanced up at the balcony. "My love for you is like the love my mother has for my father. I'm never going to stop fighting for you, for us, no matter how difficult our lives become in the next few years. We're going to confront the darkness together and burn it to ashes with the strongest light, our light. The power of two as one."

Neal pulled her closer. "To quote your papa: 'It's forever dearie'."

Later that night as his wife lay sleeping beside him a vision flashed before Robert's eyes, a scene in the distant future that brought a smile to his lips and made him reach for his wife and draw her closer. The legacy of love and hope that began with them would live on even after they bid their final farewell to this world and moved on to the paradise that awaited them.

 **Author Notes: This story is dedicated with much love to the Faithful Followers who encouraged us to put it out there for all to see and for your support from beginning to end. We would also like to thank ALL of the readers who followed the story and reviewed. We were taking a gamble when we put this out there and have been overwhelmed at the positive response it has received. Once again thank you all for reading! ~ CJ Moliere and Snapegirlkmf**


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